Barton's Hollow
by BlondiesLittleThoughts
Summary: Nicholette Barton, younger sister of the famous archer, is the odd one out on the Avenger's team. But when her past comes to the present, she is going to have to make amends with her brother. Otherwise things will get ugly. [PietroXOC]
1. Chapter 1

The music was pulsing as Natasha Romanoff pushed through the sweating bodys. Typically, the only reason she would set foot in this type of establishment would be for a mission, ad she still was, only this one didn't require seduction or murdering of any sort. It was a much more domestic mission, as she was after a girl named Nicholette.

Nicholette Barton. Sister to the famous Clint Barton.

The redhead soon came upon her target, who was waving her arms wildly as she yelled at a man. The situation seemed quite comedic. After all Nicholette was only 5'4, weighing in at about 105, and the man she was currently yelling at towered over her at what Natasha guesses was 6'4, and approximately 250 pounds. It seemed like a match-up from a rigged boxing tournament.

Pushing through the last of the bodies, Natasha put her hand on the young girl's shoulder, and gained her attention.

"Natasha! Ma'be you can help me out!" Nicholette yelled over the booming speakers, the spy just nodded. "This turd-blossom was grinding up on some ot'er hoe, although s'e may be a really nice 'erson, right now she 'ust a 'oe!" the girl slurred. Natasha took in the girls current state, and imagined how Clint was going to react. Her eyes were so dilated that you could barely see her sea-blue iris, and a thin layer of sweat could be seen on her pale skin, which she was showing alot of. Her leather shorts could have passed in Victoria's Secret as panties, and her shirt had so many cut outs in it, that Banner may have worn it when he got angry.

"Darling, lets get you out of here." Natasha was easily able to steer the girl away from the impending fight, as she struggled the keep the Barton upright. After making her way back through the sea of sex-dancing, Natasha finally got Nicholette out of the door.

"What the hell Nicki?" Clint angrily stepped out of the driver's seat of a car. The blonde man took in his sisters state, much like Natasha. Wide eyes, sweaty pale skin, skimpy clothes, tangled hair, smudged makeup, and clutching on Natasha for dear life. "Your drunk, of course."

"As ma skunk. M'hat 're you doin' 'ere?"she slurred her words as Clint opened the back door for Natasha to help the girl into the car.

"You called me."

"'hy would I do 'at?" After shutting the car door, the archer turned to the spy.

"Are we really going to take her to the base now?"

"It's not like we have any where else to take her. At least she called you." The archer only sighed.

* * *

When Clint walked into the new Avenger's base, the team was lounging in the living area. That is, some of the team. Tony and Bruce were stowed away in the lab, hopefully _not_ working on another Ultron, and Thor was most likely on Asgard at the moment. So the only once who were in the living area was Steve, Pietro, and Wanda. They were all currently trying to change the television off of the movie screen. Rogers could have probably gotten it, if only Tony hadn't insisted on having the most complicated tech in the world.

"Hey Clint. Think you can figure this out?" Steve turned and greeted the archer. Picking up the remote, he pressed a few buttons, turning the news on.

"So anyhow, I have a huge favor to ask of you guys." Clint clapped his hands together, and stared at his co-workers.

"What do you need old man? Pietro's thick accent questioned. He stretched his legs out onto the coffee table, Wanda curling up next to him. Steve stood to receive Clint's request.

"So my sister is outside, but she's kinda white-girl-wasted. She's very grabby and loose so I'm gonna bring her in through here, and get her to bed."

"And where is this 'favor'?" Wanda glanced up from her book.

"Be on your best behavior, please? I promise you won't have to talk to her drunk ass for more than a minute." Receiving nods from the group, Cint yelled for Natasha. The redhead came in, carrying the blonde girl upright. Pietro looked over the couch, and caught the slight of the wild curls that tumbled down her back and over her shoulders.

"'m telling you 'at, he was 'uch 'n ass." Natasha just nodded her head, attempting to carry the girl across the room, but her drunkenness plus her sky high heels were making Nicholette very dependent on Natasha. Dilated eyes moved around the room as they came across Steve, who frankly looked concerned for the stumbling girl. "but he's a 'ot p'ce o' ass."

"Nicki, lets just get you to bed." Clint moved to take his sister from Nat, but she looked at him and said,

"'ow 'bout the 'ath'oom cause 'm gonn' be sick." Nicki looked at Clint, who seemed lost at what to do. Meanwhile, Clint sent a begging look at Pietro. The speedster sighed, and was gone by the time everyone had blinked, as was Nicholette. Clint winked at everyone and with the wave of his hand he left the room, in search of Pietro and Nicki.

Upon arriving in the the bathroom, he saw Nicki bent over the toilet, kneeling on the tile floor. Pietro was hovering over top of her, his hand tangled in her hair, holding it back. Clint walked into the spacious room, and helped Nicki stand once she was finished vomiting. Walking out of the bathroom, he dumped the girl onto the bed that was located on the edge of the room, tossing the blanket over the girl. Leaving the room and shutting the door, Clint turned to the Slovakian.

"Thanks for that."

"So thats your sister?"

"Shutup man."

* * *

 **Hey Nerds. So this is just an idea that popped itself into my head, and I thought someone may enjoy this. I adore Pietro and he is under no circumstance dead. So please let me know what you think!**

 **-Out**


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Nicholette noticed upon waking was her pounding headache. Second was that she was still wearing her shoes, although that was not noticed until she tried to get of bed. Falling to the ground was not the best way to start off her morning. Picking herself off of the ground she took a moment to unbuckle, and kick off her heels. Glancing around the unfamiliar room, she spotted Clint sprawled across a loveseat located in the corner of the room. Spotting a dresser, she crossed, hopping over clothes and arrows that littered the floor. She could only guess that this was Clint's room. Sliding the drawer open, Nicki picked out a pair of boxers and a tee shirt before retreating into the shower that the bedroom offered.

Climbing into the shower, the water was turned on and she started to detangle her hair, and wash away the lingering scent of vodka and sweat. This also gave her time to think.

The last time the Nicki had seen her brother, was right after the Battle of New York. He had called her and wanted to talk, them never actually being on the right terms. He had tried to reconnect and become the big brother that he was meant to be. In retrospect, she wished she had let him. Although it was still better that they weren't, her life was too chaotic. She moved too much for any stable relationship and therefore limited herself to one night stands and a trail of broken hearts. She partied too hard, and drunk to forget her past. Sighing she turned off the water, and dried herself off, slipping into the clothes she stole from Clint. Walking out the bath, she noticed the Clint was no longer on the sofa.

Grabbing her cell phone and tucking it into the waistband of the boxers, she exited the room in search of coffee. Thin fingers fiddled with the hem of the borrowed shirt, and she lifted it, tying it into a knot at the small of her waist. Following the sound of clinking plates, she eventually found her way to the dining area, where the twins sat eating breakfast. Clint stood in front of the coffee pot. Picking a mug off the counter, she reached past her brother to grab the pot.

"How are you feeling Nicki?" Clint asked sipping his own coffee.

"What do you care?" came the short reply. The twins looked at each other, Wanda in particular feeling the tension between the two.

"Cause you were pretty drunk last night. I mean you were drunk enough to call me." Ignoring Clint, Nicki reached for the bottle of Whiskey that sat on the counter. "What do you think your doing?" Clint intercepted.

"Making Irish Coffee. Now give it." to which Clint replied a simple 'no'. Which initiated a staredown between the two blondes.

"What is the point of whisky in coffee?" A thick male accent interrupted the staredown that was occurring between the Barton siblings. Turning, Nicki stared at the other siblings in the room and spoke,

"Cause I've decided to stay a little drunk forever. Sorry we haven't been introduced, in Nicholette Barton."

"We know, we met last night." Wanda answered, meanwhile Pietro said,

"I am Pietro and she is Wanda. Maximoff."

"Oh. Nice to meet you guys. Sorry about last night."

"It is all good, everyone gets a little drunk sometimes." Pietro smiled, shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Yeah, but not _every_ damn night." Clint scoffed from behind his coffee mug. Nicki spun, her wet hair spinning over her shoulder.

"Wanna go big boy?" The blonde hollered, pointing her coffee mug in Clint's direction.

"I'd be surprised if your sober enough to even fight!"

"Please I could kick your ass while blackout drunk!" The two Bartons continued to yell at each other, while Wanda spoke up.

"You fight too?"

"No" Clint spoke, while Nicki answered 'Yes' at the same time.

"I use to."

"Why did you stop?" Pietro questioned, standing to discard his empty bowel.

"That would be a question for Clint." Nicki waved her arm in Clint's direction, hot coffee slipping out of the mug and onto Clint's chest. "Whoops." She gave her brother a falsely apologetic smile, and began to chuckle. Pietro began to laugh loudly, as Clint launched himself at his younger sister. Nicki dropped her mug and darted out of the way, jumping on top of the counter that Wanda was still sitting at. The two stood off, Nicki on the counter and Clint crounched on the floor. Wanda eyed them, wondering if she should get out of the way. Nicki raised her hand and gave her brother the 'come at me' gesture. Clint threw himself at Nicki. Pietro sped across the room and moved Wanda out of the way of the quarrel. Nicki sliped out from underneath of Clint, and grabbed a vase that was sitting on the table. She swing it at the archer's head, but Wanda pulled it from her grasp with her powers. Finding her weapon now gone, she threw a punch, catching Clint on the side of his face. Clint grabbed a handful of pebbles from a decorative bowel before launching them at his younger sister. Pietro grabbed them out of the air, before they could hit so Clint settled for tackling his sister over the couch.

"What the hell is happening in here?" Everyone froze and looked up to see Tony Stark.

"Well you see , they are having a little fight." Pietro spoke up.

"A little fight? You guys have nearly destroyed the kitchen, not to mention that Legolas has a bloody lip." Stark toed Clint off of Nicki, and picked both of them up.

"Well no need to worry about it, I'm leaving as soon as I get Nat to give me a ride home." Nicki, walked away pouring herself another cup of coffee.

"I don't think she'll agree to that." Stark noted. Nicki looked up and gave Tony a look of confusion.

"Why? Trust me, nobody wants her around here." Clint spoke, dropping onto the couch, "She's too much to handle."

"Well, Natasha's nominated her to become apart of the new Avenger Program."

* * *

 **So, I don't want Clint to seem like a dick, and he won't to the others, but him and his sister have some serious issues. So they just really hate each other, and that's why they're both so bitchy when together. They are two different people when they are apart as you'll see in the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Wait. Your joking right?" Clint was the first one to break the silence that enclosed the room. Tony looked over his shoulder dramatically before looking at his teamate.

"No, Nat really put her up. Said she had some mad skills, but not actually in those terms."

"What did she say?" Nicki looked up, and gave Tony her full attention. Clint gaped at her and the twins stood in the corner, unsure of what to do.

"Uhm. That you were top of your class, graduated from the academy early actually. Your versatile with any weapon and you adapt well to the situation your presented with. Said you would make a great addition."

"There's only one problem with this proposal of you looking over my skills for his band of misfits." Tony nodded, motioning for Nicki to continue. "We don't get along. We actually hate each other, so putting us on the same team isn't the smartest idea."

"Natasha told us, and I talked to Steve about it. He said that we should put you two though the same test that we put the twins through. Granted they already trust each other and move as one, but if all else fails it should be fun to watch."

"All do respect Tony-"

"Hell no." Nicki gave Clint a glare as he interrupted her response. "She can't join, I won't have it."

"Why not?" Nicki raised her eyebrows and smirked at Clint. "As Tony said, this is gonna be so much fun."

"Great! Go suit up." Tony ignored Clint's protests and then turned to the two enhanced, "Red,can you help me set the course up? And Sonic, can you show Mini-Clint where she can find some actual clothes?" Wanda and Tony left the room in the direction of the training arena, leaving Pietro and Nicki in the kitchen.

"So, you can follow me I guess." Pietro motioned for the blonde to follow, as he walked out of the room. Nicki slid her hair down her back and followed the speedster down the hall. He watched her as she seemed to take in every little detail, memorizing every turn they took, all the while sipping on her mug of coffee. Their walk was awkward, bare feet scuffling across the ground. "Can't you pick up your feet? It is bad enough that you must walk so slow."

"I guess I can." Looking back at her, Pietro saw that she had lowered her eyes.

"We're here." Stepping aside a door, Nikki walked past, and into the room. She sat her coffee down on a bench that was placed in the center. "The ones in this cabinet should probably fit you." Pietro reached in and started digging though. "Any preferences?"

"Tight and sleeveless." Pietro threw a pair of pants over his shoulder and kept digging for a shirt. Nicki stripped down and tugged the pants on. The kevlar-like materials were intertwined with an elastic thread, allowing the fabric to contour to the curves and movements of her body. Turning around Pietro stopped cold. He stared at Nicki who had her back to him and was sipping on her coffee. Her back was littered with scars. They ranged from thin white lines that slipped under the back of her black bra to aggressive patches of white and pink. Nicki turned around and grabbed the shirt. She pulled the vest-like top on, zipping the front up. The bone-patches that were infused into the shirt allowed for it to be both structured and flexible.

"See something you like kid?" Nicki flashed a smirk before raising her arms and began to twist her hair into a braid.

"What happened?" Pietro stared at her, his face softening as his mind began to race.

"Nothing that matters anymore." She finished her braid and tied it off, tossing it over her shoulder, it reaching mid-back.

"But-"

"Say, you got clothes in every size, what about some shoes." Nicki blinked, closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, Pietro was holding a pair of thin boots, and some socks. Sitting down she pulled them on, over the hems of the pants. When she sat back up, Nicki found Pietro closer than one may have prefered anyone to be. "Can I help you?"

"You can tell me what happened." Nicki slipped her way past Pietro, and over to the rack that held the weapons. She opened the cabinet and observed the items that were being held within. She picked up a pair of throwing knives and inspected them, before putting them back in the cabinet. "Does it have to do with why you and your brother do not get along?"

"It really doesn't matter, because you do not need to know." Nicki picked up some arrows from the closet.

"You know the Stark and the Captain will give you some weapons that are not lethal. They do not need anyone maimed or killed." Nicki put the arrows back. "Back to the point, teammates should tell each other things. I could always have Wanda find out."

"We are not teammates yet. Anyway, what powers do you two actually have? I mean, Nat kinda told me when you two were first picked up, but it wasn't very specific."

"I am super fast, and she is super witchy. Now why won't you answer the question." Pietro stood and followed Nicki out of the room.

"Cause that was specific. And that is not a question you need to have answered. Now stop asking."

"Nicho-"

"Pietro! Stop it. Now, can you please tell me where the hell I am going?!" She turned around and faced him after having walked around aimlessly for over 10 minutes. He looked hurt that she had yelled at him. Nicki let out a breath and smiled. "Sorry. I really don't want to talk about it. Now, can you please show me where I am going?" He smirked.

"I can do better than that." He lurched forward, and Nicki fliched, but before she could take a step backward, Pietro slipped his arms under her knees and back. He felt his arms wrap around his neck in fear, as he sped off, and she clutched at the back of his shirt.

* * *

 **So I know how ridiculously short all my chapters are, but I'm very peticualr in how they are broken up so there's nothing I can really do about that... But anyhow, there will be a long fight scene in the next chapter this I hope won't turn out horrifically. Now off I go to watch the season premiere of TEEN WOLF! Too hype. " _The Doctor will see you now"_**


	4. Chapter 4

When Nicki and Pietro reached the observance room of the gym, everyone else was already there. Minus Thor, who was on Asguard. Nicki heard the rushing in her ears stop, as she still clung onto the t-shirt that Pietro was wearing. Jumping out of his arms, she landed, and stumbled. Uprighting herself, she turned to the silver-haired speedster,

"Word of advice, never do that to anyone who is still working off a hangover." Nicki patted his shoulder, before turning around to face Tony. "So, whats the plan?"

"Glad you asked kiddo. You and Clint are going to enter the training room, and fight what ever we throw at you." Stark moved to the control panel and began to press buttons. "Bruce is going to measures and observe you vitals and such through this band." Tony turned and handed Nicholette and black wristband. Grabbing the acsessory, she observed it. It was a thin black peice of leather, and looked much like a wrist-watch. In the inside were two metal dots. Nicki wrapped it around her left wrist. "Steve is here to watch your technique, and how you work together. Meanwhile the rest of them, I couldn't give you an awnser.

"Hey Nat, can I have a word real quick?" The redhead followed her friends out of the room. Once they were alone, Nicki said, "What are you doing? Why give me a rec for the freaking Avengers?"

"You have real skill, and we could use someone like you." Natasha and Nicholette had become friends even before the battle of New York. In fact, they had known each other before the Barton siblings had their fallout. The russian spy had been there though it all.

"I know you, and you know me. This spells disaster, and you know it Nat." Natasha reached out for Nicki, and placed her hands on her shoulder.

"You guys have been at each other's throats for years. Isn't it time to call it quits? I want you two to atleast become social again." Nicki shook Natasha's hand off her shoulders, and took a step back.

"I wish we could, I really do Nat. But I can't forgive him."

"You called him to come get you at the club."

"I was drunk."

"You still called him. Nicki please, he's family. Not everyone had that." Hearing Tony shout for them to come back in, Nicki turned her back on Natasha and placed her handon the door knob.

"Yeah, well. Family dosen't leave each other for dead." Nicki walked in to the room, leaving an exasperated Natasha to follow. Under the direction of Tony, Nicki entered the training room with Clint on her heels.

"Okay, so you guys will hear a buzz, and the exercise will start. Remember that its all a drill." Steve's voice was heard over the intercom in the room.

"Try to trust me, I've seen the twins to this a thousand times." Clint reached into his quiver and pulled out a batton. "I grabbed this for you. Didn't know what weapon you would want." Not moving her gaze from infront of her, Nicki grabbed the stick with the short retort.

"You wouldn't, would you?" A large buzz filled the room, and the walls went dark. Holograms filled the room, trees and obsticals filling the arena. Nicki stalked around the holograms, silent. Meanwhile, Clint walked around strutting his stuff. Or, he was strutting until a robot knocked him on his ass. One attempted to hit Nicki too, but she ducked and slid under it's metal legs. Rising up behind it, Nicki slammed the batton into the back of the andriod, dropping the heap of metal onto the ground. Turning around, she saw that her brother was still on the ground rubbing his head. "Get off your ass. As much as I hate it, Stark said to work together. That means we will be facing more than simple robots. I can't drag your ass around with me." Cint stood and knoched an arrow in his bow. He took out the robot that had knocked him down the first time around.

The next wave of robots was a group of five. Clint took two down with a furry of arrows placed in the joints of the robots. Meanwhile Nicki had settled herself ontop of the shoulders of one of the androids, and was digging through the back of the neck. Taking her batton, she jammed it into the open pannel and shutting the robot down. The other one, was taken down simpily. Nicki just threw the batton through it's face. A pretty effective way to shut it down. The last one, was not too easy. Meanwhile Stark had taken it upon himself to 'make it more entertaining', which involved introuducing highspeed winds, causing Clint's arrows to become practically useless, and throwing moving elements into the senerio. These items included, falling trees, rock projectiles. The robot lunged at Clint and he lept onto the front of it, he was quickly thrown into a tree. Even though the scenery was just holographics, Tony had created a way to make them look and _feel_ real. And Clint would surly be feeling the realness of the situation tommorrow.

Nicki ran at the machine as it swung at her. She dropped to the ground, allowing the vigorus winds to help her slide underneath the attack. It helped her evade the attack, but it also tossed her into the side of the arena. She sat up and put her hand to her head, it was taking to long to take this thing down.

"You guys having trouble in there?" Starks voice came from over the comm.

"Nahh." Clint began to stand, only to have the wind force him back to a crouch, "I train in hurricane weather everyday." Nicki listened to the banter of the two Avengers, while the simulation stood in place. Staying low to the ground, Nicki crept around the edge of the room, making her way to Clint.

"I thought you had seen the twins do this a thousand times. Whats the hold up?" Nicki hollared over the wind.

"Well I guess I forgot to take into account that they are enchanced." Clint raised his arms in frusteration, and let them smack down on his legs. Nicki flinched. Her face scrunched up before turning to her brother.

"Your kidding right?" she gave Clint an exasperated stare, before he made a series of movements and facial expressions that Nicki could only assume to mean ' _I don't know, why are you blaming me?'_ the blonde girl sighed, "Just follow my lead." But before she could leave, Clint grabbed her arm.

"Why should I follow your lead, why you know damn well you wouldn't follow mine?" Nicki ripped her arm out of Clint's grasp.

"For the seccond time today. Are you kidding me? You know what, do or don't. At this point, I'm done." Nicki grabbed Clint's bow from his hands, and an arrow from his pack. She spun around, pointing the arrow in the direction of the wind, and let it fly. Clint snached the bow out of his sister's hands. Once the arrow hit it's mark, the simmulation vanished. Upon closer inspection, Clint saw that the arrow had hit a control panel. By the time he had turned back to look at his sister, she was gone. He caught the tail end of her braid slipping through the door.

"Nicki wait." Clint heard Natasha call after his younger sister. Clint walked into the observation room. He saw that the door was closing, and that Natasha was missing from the room. Even though he knew that Tony was going to have to put time into fixing the arena that Nicki had just damaged, it seemed that the scientist was overly giddy. He and Banner were hunched over computer screens going over the data that they had obtained. Wanda and Pietro were huddled in a corner whispering, and Steve just looked at Clint.

"If you let her walk it's only going to get worse." Clint sighed, and opened the door to follow the two girls who had left.

* * *

When Cint had finally caught up to Nicholette, she was alongside a riverbank on the outskirts of the compound. She was sitting with her feet dangling over the edge of the small overhang.

"What the hell Nicki?" Clint yelled over the water. "You just blew that sim. I could have taken it down."

"I'm not in the mood. I gave it a shot for Nat, but this isn't going to work." Clint opened his mouth to say somthing, but Nicki cut him off. "Save it, Im leaving anyway. You won't have to worry about me anymore." Nicki stood and dusted off her pants. Knocking the dirt off the training pants.

"Fine, leave. Go back to the drinking and drugs. Ruin your life, see if I care." The archer yelled at her, causing her to flinch.

"Why are you yelling at me? Your the one who who is being unreasonable. You think I want to go back to that?" Nicki's voice began to raise.

"I'm being unreasonable? You have been acting like a bitch since you got here! I bailed you out of trouble, you called me to come get you!"

"That would be the first time you came and got me when I needed you." Nicki's voice dropped to a scarily low tone.

"Are you still mad about that? It was four years ago! Get over it!" Clint took a step closer to his sister.

"You left me. All I needed was my brother, and I was left alone. Abandoned." Nicki stared Clint down. She saw the anger boil over in his eyes.

"I was my job!" Clint screamed.

"To leave your family?" Nicki stepped up into her older brother's face, her hand coming up to push him in the chest.

"To save others!" Clint stepped forward, and gave Nicki a shove, unknown to him that it was much more forceful than intended. Time seemed to slow down as Nicki took a step back to balance herself, and her booted foot landed on the soil near the river's edge. Nicki felt her heart drop to her gut as the soil started to slide. Clint had already turned his back as a way to attempt to calm himself down. So he didn't notice when Nicki was falling into the current of the water. She landed with silence compared to the way the river was already roaring. She felt the water cover her skin, and slip over her face. She began to panic, as the current kept her tumbling. She felt a sharp tug on her scalp as the tail of her braid was caught on a branch embedded in the river bed. The tie was torn out of her head, and her hair was suddendly around her face. Her head finally found the surface for a quick moment allowing her to swallow a gulp of air and screm before being submerged in the current once again. She wanted to cry, and probally was. Yet the water would have torn away the tears falling from her eyes. Her head wanted to explode, and her lungs burnede. She tried to swim to the surface but was pushed back under by the current. Her hands reached for her head, as her hair wrapped itself around her face, even more so creating the feeling of afyxiation.

Suddenly there was a sharp cold grasp on her waist as she was ripped out of the water. When she opened her eyes, she was sitting on the grass on the side of the riverbank. Her hair clung to her back and face, wrapping around her neck. Looking around she saw Tony next to her in his Iron Man suit, Pietro was right next to him, and Steve and Natasha were running towards them. Nicki shook as tears fell from her wide eyes and her chest seemed to deflate through her shakey breath.

"You okay kid? Your vitals were all over the place." Tony's mask slid up, revealing his face, as he touched the black band that was on her wrist. Nicki didn't move, and instead tried to focas on controlling her breathing. Pietro studied her, how she clutched the grass, and how her colarbones seemed to hang off her chest through her deep breaths. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were filled with terror. When the rest of the gang had finally reached them, Clint had come bursting through the huddle.

"Nicki, I-" Clint was breathing heavily and the bottom of his pants were dampened, as if he had attempted to wade in the water. Nickis eyes shot up, rimmed in red as her glance stopped Clint dead. She stood, her whole body shaking.

"Don't you _ever_ touch at me again. Or I'll-" she stopped, leaving the sentice open. Clint flinched, his breath begining to quicken.

"You'll kill me." Clint's whisper was barley heard. Nicki crossed her arms, nails digging into her bare skin, and began to walk back to the compund to gather what few belongings she had there. She stopped to turn over her shoulder, and left the group with a small comment.

"No. But, you'll wish I did."

* * *

 **Sorry for the wait guys! I was on vacation with my family so I didn't have any time to update, but I finally got it up! Enjoy and leave me some feedback!**


	5. Chapter 5

As Nicki reached the front door of the compound, she entered only to find Wanda pacing in the entry.

"Nicholette, what happened?" Wanda stopped her pacing and came to a rest in front of the soaking blonde.

"Clint and I got into another fight. Nothing big." Nicki slipped past Wanda and began walking to her brother's bedroom to gather her belongings. Wanda stood frozen in the hall, confusion and concern mixing on her face. Wanda called for Nicki to wait for her, as the witch jogged to catch up with her down the hallway.

"Why do fight so much with him? He's your family." Wanda was now walking alongside of Nicki, who was running her fingers through her hair, attempting to knock some of the water off that still clung to the stands.

"It's a long story." Wanda wouldn't take that as an answer. "But tell me. How do you and Pietro get along so well?" The brunette smiled.

"We only have each other. Orphaned when we were 10, we had nothing. Pietro and I never left each other, nor would we want to. We are all each other has."

"So I would take it your brother has never let you down?" Wanda just shook her head.

"And your's has?" Wanda's eyes widened

"Your the enhanced, take a look and see." Both girls stopped and faced one another.

"Are you sure?"

"It's no secret. When Nat released the SHIELD files, anyone could figure out if they knew what to search." Wanda raised her hand to Nicki's face, and all the Barton saw was a flash of red before her universe dissolved into her past.

* * *

 _"Clint!" Said Barton turned around to have arms thrown around his neck by a 16 year old Nicholette._

 _"Hey Nicki, did you get settled?"_

 _"Yeah, this place is amazing! Thank you so much for bringing me!" Clint Barton had been assigned to travel with this ship and make sure that it's cargo reached it's proper destination. It was a harmless mission. However to make sure that the cargo went unnoticed, SHIELD had thought it was a good cover to send it along on a passenger cruise. Granted it wasn't posed as one of the commercial cruise liners, and only had about four family's on board. The cargo was a computer hard-drive containing intel. So of course they sent the famous Clint Barton to handle it. Of course, the mission was considered easy, leading Clint to believe it was Fury's way of giving him a vacation. So he brought his kid sister along. It was a easy way to introduce her to SHIELD work after the limited amount of training she had received._

 _"Anytime kid, I wish I could bring you more often." Clint tossed his arm over Nicki 's shoulder before leading her to the front of the ship._

 _It had been about two weeks into the three week voyage. So far nothing had happened causing alarm in the Baron's mission, leading the some boredom._

* * *

 _"Clint. Clint. Clint. Comeon pay attention to me." Nicki stood in front of the mirror in their shared cabin on the ships lowest level. She was pulling her hair into a messy ponytail in the dim lighting that the single bulb in the room allowed._

 _"Nicki, its two in the morning. Why are you up?" Clint rubbed his eyes as he stared at the time on his phone, and promptly shoved his head back under his pillow._

 _"Because, you promised you would teach me how to shoot."_

 _"At two in the morning?"_

 _"When else are the halls empty?" Clint just groaned. Glancing at his sister, he saw she was still dressed in her pajamas of shorts and a tank top. Putting his face back into his matress, he felt the bed shift as Nicki sat on the edge and began to but her boots on. " Come On I already got you a mug of coffee." At this Clint perked up. He took the cup and watched as she sipped on her own._

 _"Fine. You look ridiculous by the way." Clint laughed referring to her penguin printed short with her industrial looking boots._

 _"Come on!" Nicki raced to the door as Clint grabbed his bow and quiver._

 _"Wait your gonna freeze to death out there!" Chasing after her he grabbed his SHIELD jacket off of the hook by the open door, and raced to give it to his sister before teaching her how to fire his weapon of choice._

* * *

Wanda next found herself drawn to a specific memory, one filed with intense fear. This was the first one in the multitude of fear filled memories that were stacked in Nicki's mind. Before this memory, everything was pleasant. Wanda found no reason for the two Bartons to fight with each other, in fact she found them to be very close. They were together from the runaway kid to the lead act in the traveling circus. They were happy. But this single moment would change it all.

* * *

 _The ship was silent as it neared the last few days of the voyage. Everyone was asleep in their bunks as the morning came upon the ship. It was peaceful. It would be the last peaceful moment for Nicholette Barton for weeks to come. The ship lurched with such a jolt that it tossed the young girl out of her twin size bed and on top of her older brother. Causing them to both wake up with a start._

 _"Clint, what was that?" Nicki whispered, as she slipped her feet off of the bed, and began to stand. Clint opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted with a large crash, as the ship lurched again. Nicki lost her footing causing her to fall forward. Clint reached his arm out and quickly snagged the back of his younger sisters tanktop. With a slight tear, the younger Barton was able to be straightened upright. "Clint!"_

 _"I don't know. Get your shoes." Clint stooped down slipped his feet into his boots, as his sister did the same. Clint grabbed his bow and tossed his quiver over his back. Nicki grabbed a gun from the floor as the duo darted out of the door, as the ship began to groan. Running down the hall, the two made an odd pair. An adult, stained sweatpants tucked into a pair of dusty boots, his bare chest adorned with only the strap from his quiver. His hair tossed, and his facial expression telling the world that he would rather be anywhere else. The younger girl, raced down the hall hand in hand with the man looked equally as strange. Her bare legs pumped to keep up with her brother's long strides. Her spandex shorts not long enough to be worn in public, let alone racing down a hallway at 4 in the morning. Her tanktop was slightly torn in the back, and her boots clanged against the wood panel flooring of the ship. A gun was clutched in her hand. Their hands were yanked apart as Nicki stopped short. Leaving Clint to slide to a stop. "What?"_

 _"Clint. Look." Nicki pointed to her feet where water was beginning to pool. Alarm filled Clint's face as he grabbed her arm, and raced to the next level of the ship, pulling a alarm on their way up, alerting everyone to the dir_ _e situation. The ship was sinking. There were two more levels until the Barton's reached the deck of the ship. They were about to head up the stairs that would take them to the second level until screams came from down the hall. Clint froze as Nicki tried to pull him up the stairs. "Come on!" she screamed. Clint turned around and grabbed her shoulders._

 _"Nicki, get to the d_ _eck." Clint turned and began to sprint in the direction of the screams._

 _"Clint, wait!"_

 _"Go!" Clint's scream stopped Nicki in her tracks. In a matter of seconds, her brother had disappeared around a corner. Her chest deflated as she struggled to breath through her fear. Is this was fear felt like? Nicki never had a reason to be scared before. Clint had always been by her side to calm her nightmares and terrors. But he had just left her. Alone. She felt the ship shake again. Holding back tears she turned on her heels and ran up the stairs. When she had reached the top of the deck she found everyone standing on the deck._

 _"What are you idiot's waiting for get in the air!" This ship was large enough to have a helicopter on the top deck. It were suppose to be reserved for medical emergencies, considering this was a SHIELD ship, and was mainly used for missions. This trip had been so peaceful Nicki had forgotten it was still a mission. The poor fami_ _ly's had gotten picked for the wrong free trip. As she loaded the couples onto the aircraft, she noticed that her brother had still not reached the top deck. Hearing cries from the other end of the ship, Nicki turned around. The ship had just begun to lean to the side and she knew they had to get the helicopter off the deck soon. Nicki peered into the darkness that the early morning provided, and saw two eyes on the other side of the ship. A child. A stowaway. The Barton ran to the end of the ship, and she saw her brother put a person on the inside of the craft. Nick grabbed the young kid in her arms began to race back to the helicopter which the captain now had hovering over the dangerously tilted ship deck. She saw her brother's lips move as the sharp crack of the ship filled the air. It was splitting. Nicki gave a final push before the ships floor became too steep to continue up. She felt the wind from the chopper as it hovered above her, she saw her brother's hand outstretched for her. With a final thought she took the child in her arms and threw it to the outstretched hand._

 _As for Nicki, she slid down the deck of the ship, her brother's screams heard over th_ _e sound of the ocean and spinning blades. But then everything was quiet. Quiet but not peaceful. Things and pieces of the ship crashed into the water around the teenager, as she tumbled in the darkness of the water. Her loose hair wrapped itself around her face, as if it was partnered with the water in attempts to squeeze the air out of her lungs. When her face broke the water's surface she tried to scream as she gasped for air. Nicki saw the glow of the helicopters lights, but before a sound could work it's way out of her throat, she was pulled back under the water by the current of sinking objects. Nicki tumbled again in the water as her world kept spinning. Her bare legs burned as she struggled against the tide. When she surfaced again her throat burned and her muscles ached. She gasped for air and her arms found themselves wrapped around a floating piece or the ship. Glancing up she saw that the helicopter was circling around the wreck. But it was about a hundred feet too far away. She would never be spotted, the current had carried her too far. She tried to scream but her lungs were working against her, not to mention every time she opened her mouth water would quickly fill it._

 _Nicholette had no idea how long she floated on the water. But it had been long enough to watch the helicopter and her brother fly away from her and over the horizon and for the sun to come fully overhead. And as the sun began to make it's way out of the sky for the night, she found herself on a beach. Her aching arms pulled her body onto the white sand, as she collapsed on the hot ground. Nicki didn't care. Her body was already burning due to the sun, so what more could some hot sand do? She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. As soon as the first tear leaked out of her eye, she couldn't hold it back. This is what real fear felt like. Fear is not what she felt back on the ship when her brother left her, she had mistaken anger for fear. Fear was a raw throat and sore, aching muscles. Fear was being on a island in the middle of the ocean. Fear was being alone. She put her face in her hands. Being afraid was not going to help her. In fact, crying would only kill her sooner. Nicki worked her way to her feet, wiping the tears from her eyes. She began to formulate a plan in her head. She had to survive until SHIELD came for her. As the plan came together in her head. She began to replace her fear. Anger took it's place. This is what anger felt like. Anger was being left behind. Anger was being stranded on a island by herself. Anger was being alone._

* * *

 **So this one was mainly a flashback, and I will return to the present in the next chapter. But now Wanda knows what happened, so do you think it will change anything in the team? So please review and let me know what you think and if this changes your opinion on how the Bartons treat each other, and if it' reasonable or not!**

 **Sam0728 : I'm hoping to explore more the differences between the different relationships that the Bartons and Maximoff's have. They both grew up only having each other, yet they both are vastly different in how they interact. Do you think had circumstances been different that the Maximoffs could grow apart?**


	6. Chapter 6

When Pietro found his sister, she was sitting on the floor with hers arms thrown around Nicki's neck. Wanda had tears in her eyes, and was whispering the the blonde girl. The two spoke in hushed whispers back and forth until Wanda released Nicki from her grasp. The speedster saw that Nicki also had tear marks that trailed down her cheeks. They both laughed as they wiped at their cheeks. They both stood, as Pietro approached.

"Everything is okay?" Wanda turned to her brother.

"Yes. Nicki was telling me about her relationship with Clint."

"You mean that is is awful? They treat each other terribly." Pietro gave his twin a hug, and kissed the top of her head.

"Yes, but she has reason. Although I does not excuse how you treat one another, and I will fix that." Wanda shook her finger at Nicki. The Baton in mention just raised her hands in defeat.

"You can try. It's been years, and I don't see him changing anytime soon."

"So what, are you two best friends now?" Pietro put one of his hands on each of the girls shoulder.

"I don't let just anyone in my brain, so I guess I'm stuck with her." Nicki sent Wanda a smile, before sliding out from under Pietro's touch. "And since you two come as a pair, it looks like I'm stuck with you too. Wanda, do you have any clothes I can borrow?" The Brunette smiled as she led the group to her room.

As they entered Wanda's room, Pietro immediately sprawled across the plush red bedsheets. His silver hair had fallen above his head, creating a halo around his face. Wanda had taken a seat at her vanity and pointed in the direction of her closet.

"You can take what you want, everything should fit you." Nicki walked into the closet, and stared at the clothes lining the wall.

"Dear lord." Hearing her exclamation, Wanda told her that Stark had bought all the clothing that was in the closet. Nicki ran her fingers through the clothing, and noticed that there was some expensive designers amung the fabrics. Grabbing a pair of jeans, she pulled them on. The fabric was loose fitting with rips in the front. A belt was grabbed from off the wall to keep the pants on her hips. Slipping her fingers in the waistband, she popped the tag off of the new pants. Slipping a shirt off of a hanger, Nicki tossed on a white crop top, before re-entering the room.

"So are you planning to stay?" Pietro spoke as he stared at Nicki, who was leaning over Wanda, applying the makeup that was being handed to her by his sister.

"I'm not sure yet. I think it could be fun, although I would have to try and settle things with Clint, and I'm not sure that will end well."

"Why not?" Running a brush through her hair, she pulled her blonde mess to the back of her head and tied it in a pony tail. Nicki hopped onto Wanda's dresser top and leaned against the wall.

"Last time, we tried to mend things it was right after he joined the Avengers. He wanted to work things out, and since Lila was just born he wanted me to meet her." Pietro sat up at the mention of Barton's family back at the farm. Once the fight with Ultron was over, Wanda and himself had stayed with the Bartons for a while, getting used to having other people around them. The two had grown close to the kids, and Clint had even let them babysit once.

"What happened?" Wanda set her mascara down and turned to face the group.

"I went, saw he was fine without me, and then I left."

"You... left?" Pietro's voice showed clear confusion. "Why did you leave? You had a way to become a family again."

"He was fine without me, I didn't see any need to disrupt that." Pietro leaned against the headboard, and Wanda sat back.

"And what happened earlier?"

"I blew up. I was annoyed that Clint tried to tell me what to do, and then he wouldn't listen to me in the sim, and then he came to talk to me when I was still angry. It just wasn't a good combo."

"To be fair, you wouldn't listen to him in the simulation either." Wanda mentioned.

"Im the younger sister, I'm suppose the be the one who doesn't listen."

"I know all too well how that is." The silver-haired boy scoffed.

"What is that suppose to mean?!" Wanda laughed, and waved her hand. A pillow jumped off the bed, clouded in red and smack itself into Pietro's face. Pietro jumped up in an instant was across the room standing in front of Nicki, Wanda's long locks swirling into a mess. A mass of pillows were raised and sent flying at Pietro. Unfortunately the pillows were aimed at where Pietro was standing, not where he would be. In a blur of blue and silver Pietro was gone, leaving Nicki with a face full of pillows. Knocked sideways, Nicki fell off the dresser and crash landed on the floor. Rolling to her side, the blonde grabbed a pillow before throwing it at Wanda who effortlessly knocked it aside with a wave of her had. The projectile found it's way to Pietro's face, effectively knocking him to the ground. With Wanda the last one of her feet, she was declared the unofficial winner. The three of them were all on the ground laughing when a knock sounded at the door. Wanda opened the door and saw Clint was standing there. He was standing on his heels as if he was about to turn around. His hands were being rubbed together as he opened his mouth.

"Hey Nicki, could I talk to you?" Wanda glanced at Nicki, as did Pietro. Nicki looked back at Wanda, and they exchanged a thought. _It couldn't hurt._ Nicki stood, and left with Clint. The two twins turned to each other.

"You know Clint is not the bad guy Wanda." Pietro spoke, noticing his sister was attached to Nicki. Sometimes other's feelings would rub off onto his sister as she interacted with their mind. He didn't want her mind to become clouded by Nicki's emotions.

"I know. No one is, they have just had bad luck."

* * *

The Bartons walked down the hallway of the base, entering the SHIELD workplace. They passed agents who were walking down the hallway, weaving in and out of people who were trying to get to one place or another to complete the days work. Nicki had her arms crossed against her chest and Clint had his hands in his pant pockets.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Nicki stared ahead, weaving her way around another agent.

"I was wondering if you were really going to leave? Stark was telling me about his data, and I actually think that they could use your help."

"I was going to. But I got talking the the Maximoffs, and I think I may give it a try." The air between the two grew tenser as they both suppressed their desire to send shots of insults at one another.

"You know, I'm not even here that often. I go home to Laura and the kinds quite a bit, so I promise we won't work together often." Clint's face scrunched up as he spoke, finally looking at Nicki. Only to find her eyebrows drawn together and her lip between her teeth.

"Maybe, if I'm going to try this whole hero-thingy," Nicki spoke slowly, going over Wanda's words in her head. The image of the twins interactions playing in her mind. "Maybe, we can try this whole sibling-thing." She spoke slowly. Clint looked at he with surprise. "I'm not saying this will work. But it's not like things could get any worse between us."

"I'm sorry I pushed you in the river." Clint gave her a smile. Nicki sighed.

"Not even the main problem here, but it's a start. So. I guess I'm sorry I said I would give you a fate worse than death."

"Truce?" Clint stuck his hand out in a peaceful gesture. Nicki gave her brother a 'are you serious' face.

"'Truce?' What are you five?"

"Comeon! We both said we were sorry!" Clint whined. Reluctantly Nicki smacked her hand into her brothers. Her soft manicured hand falling into his rough calloused one.

"If my hands gonna feel that rough at the end of things, I'm pretty sure I've just made a mistake."

* * *

 **Do you guys think that hanging with the Maximoffs, and watching them 'fight' helped change Nicki's mind? Are things really going to work out between the Bartons? I can tell you guys that it will not be an easy fix. Lots more blowups and arguments to come. You will also see alot more of Nicki's past, in particular that island. A large kicker is about to come soon, but also some cheeseyness between Pietro and Nicki.**


	7. Chapter 7

Nicki had finally gotten settled in the living area of the Avenger complex. Something that would have typically taken three weeks, had only taken two days. Moving was relatively easy when you have a supersoldier and some miracles to help out. Nicki rubbed her face as she sat in the middle of her new bedroom's floor. She had spent the last seven hours organizing and putting everything in it's place. Stretching out her legs, Nicki sprawled out on the floor, releasing the tension that had built up in her muscles over the few days of being in and out of the complex. Rolling to her feet, Nicki grabbed her phone and put her earbuds in, and grabbed a hoodie before walking out of her door into the dark hallway. Slipping down the hallway she pulled the sweatshirt over her head, running into a wall in the process. Once she was able to pull her head through the top, Nicki kept the hood up as she ventured into the kitchen. Moving around the dark, she propped the frige open, illuminating the corner of the room. _2:17_ was lit up in thin letters across the top of the stove. Bobbing her head to the sound of her music she walked back and forth form the fridge, to the cabinet, to the counter and all back again. Tossing ingredients into a bowl, turning around to grab a whisk from the counter on the other side of the kitchen, Nicki hit a hard wall. Taking a step back, she felt hands wrap around her upper arms. Moving quickly, Nicki snapped her arms to the side and collapsed the arms that had grabbed her. In the same fluid motion Nicki set her hands on the counter, tipping the bowel of ingredients. Lifting her knees up to her chest, the blonde crushed her bare feet into her chest of the shadow behind her. This motion ripped the buds out of her ears, leading the girl to hear the air leave her victim's chest. Seeing the person on the ground clutching their chest, Nicki spoke to FRIDAY.

"Lights." she demanded. As the bulbs rose to life, Nicki stayed in a fighting pose, with her hands raised. When the lights finally illuminated the kitchen, the Barton saw that it was Pietro who was lying on the ground hands pressed t his chest. "Pietro? What are you doing?" Nicki turned and filled a glass with water, handing it to the man on the ground. Once he had regained the air in his lungs. Pietro sat up.

"Well I was standing in the kitchen, but now I am trying to breathe." He wheezed.

"I guess I took your breath away." Nicki winked and she helped the twin to his feet, and returned to the counter to clean up the spilt ingredients. Hearing the Maximoff take a deep breath, she actually heard his approach this time.

"What are you doing anyway?"

"Well I was making cake. However, this-" Nicki motioned to the mess on the counter, "-was the last of the flour. So I guess I will not be having cake tonight." Nicki smiled before dumping the spilt materials in the trash can. Turning around she saw that Pietro had grabbed a rag and was cleaning the counter.

"What are you doing up anyway, its almost 2:30?" Pietro tossed the rag into the sink.

"I-"

"Wait, your not gonna leave the rag like that are you?" Nicki pointed at the sink, and walked toward it. Pietro shrugged his shoulders and drank from that glass of water he had. "Dude, it won't dry all bundled up like that." Nicki picked up the rag and hung it over the kitchen spout. "Anyway, what were you doing?" The blonde walked to the cabinet and stared inside of it.

"I was out for a run."

"Wait. You went for a run at night?" Nicki stretched for a jar on the top shelf, raising herself onto her toes. Pietro walked over and grabbed a bag of chips off of the shelf, right next to the jar that Nicki was attempting to grab. Leading Nicki to send a glare in his direction.

"I couldn't sleep."

"So you went running? Who does that?" Nicki jumped for the jar, still unable to reach it.

"I do." Nicki scoffed as she lifted her leg and put her foot of the counter. Climbing onto the counter, Nicki finally grabbed the jar. The blonde slid her foot back to turn around and jump off the counter, but as she shifted her weight, her foot began to slide. Her foot slipped off of the counter and her shin slammed against the edge. Pietro jolted forward and steadied Nicki as her feet made contact with the ground. A loud curse slipped from Nicki's lips, that, if Steve had been in range, would have kneeled him over. "You okay?"

"I'm good." Hobbling over to grab a spoon from a drawer, Nicki leaned on a counter and opened the jar, which turned out to be frosting.

"Are you sure, your bleeding?" Nicki looked at her shin, as saw a stain start to bleed through her sweatpants. Before Nicki could move to grab a napkin to stop the bleeding, she found herself being set on the counter with instructions 'not to fall'. Pietro rolled the leg of the pants up, and disappeared for a moment and reappeared with a bandage.

"I can do this myself you know." Nicki spoke with a mouthful of frosting, as Pietro put a bandage over the gash that the counter had caused.

"Yeah, but I do not mind helping." The room was silent as Nicki continued to eat the frosting, and Pietro finished wrapping her leg up. When Pietro had finished he stood and rolled down her pant leg. Holding his hand out, Nicki grabbed it and slid off the counter. Closing the frosting jar Nicki put the spoon in the sink and handed the frosting jar to Pietro to put back.

"Since you don't mind helping." Nicki smirked, as he tossed the jar back on the shelf. The two went to go exit the room, and Pietro asked FRIDAY to turn the lights off. The two of the both retreated to their rooms, which happened to end up in the same hallway. But as Nicki put her hand on the door knob, the hallway flared to life. Life meaning, alarms, and lights galore. "Uh, is this some sort of drill?" Nicki turned to Pietro. Who ran to the door opposing his, and threw it open. Wanda quickly appearing on the other side. They grabbed each others hands as they looked each other over, making sure they were unharmed. "Uh so not a drill?" Nicki's had to yell to be heard over the siren. Doors were thrown open down the hall as Steve, and Natasha ran out, holding their respective weapons. A large bang emitted over the alarm, cause the group to look down the hallway. Clint finally fell out of his room, having had run into the door in his sleepy daze. He stood up and looked around, to see the hall filled with a red light.

"What's happening?" The group ignored the archer who was still waking up, as they made their way to the living room to check their monitor. Tony would have typically already known what was going on, but the millionaire had made his was back to his tower to spend time with reaching the room, FRIDAY lit the lights, allowing them to see what was going on. Suddenly the alarms went silent, but the red glow form the lights remained. Natasha set her gun down on the coffee table as she picked up a tablet and flipped the screen on. Tapping away on the tablet, the redhead's face scrunched up as Steve moved to look over her shoulder. Clint took a seat on the couch as he shook his head to clear it.

"Someone hacked our system." Natasha told the group, who was waiting to find their course of action. The screen which had been blank since Natasha had turned it on, sparked to life. The screen showed footage from earlier. It went from Natasha and Steve sparring, to Clint pouring himself coffee, to Wanda reading a book, to Pietro racing around the outdoor track. The screen went dark once again.

"Was that creepy to anyone else?" Clint sat straight and pointed at the screen. The screen glowed to life once again as Natasha continued to swipe at the tablet in her hands, trying to figure out who was hacking into their time it showed Nicholette, but it wasn't a recording. It was live. Clint stood as Pietro took a step closer to the blonde and put his hand on her shoulder. Nicki's eyes darted around the room furiously as she looked for the security camera. Steve beat her to it. With the swing of his arm, her launched his shield at the device, causing the screen to fritz out. Clint moved to Nicki's side.

"Natasha, talk to me." Steve ordered, strapping his shield back to his arm.

"Someone's in our system."

"Get them out!" Clint hollered. As the archer said that, all the lights in the compound went out, and the tablet in Natasha's hand started to smoke, and friz. As the device began to spark, silver flashed through the room, as Pietro grabbed the device and tossed it in the sink. He then returned to Wanda and Nicki's side, sliding to a stop. The screen switched to the view of a webcam, as a man came into focus on the television. He had a youthful appearance, and Steve would have guessed that he was the same age as the twins, maybe a year or two older. He was clean shaven and had dark brown hair fluffed on top of his head. A cigarette hung between his lips.

"The mighty Avengers, I presume?" He spoke with a heavy accent that Natasha couldn't quite place.

"You got our attention son, what do you want?" Steve spoke, his entire demeanor changing into Captain America. Nicki wanted to swoon, but instead she was frozen in fear.

"Just wanted to see what I was going to be against. And let me tell you, you don't look like you could defend a sandcastle, let alone the world. I mean-" He moved closer to his webcam, as if to see the group better. "Are you wearing duck pajamas?" Clint stuck his chest out.

"Wanna go punk?" Clint walked up to join Steve and Natasha in the front of the gang. The stranger took a long draw of his cigarette, and paused before letting out the smoke.

"I wouldn't be so rah-rah. We will fight one day, but for now, I'm going to let you wait... and anticipate. I want you to know that I know you. I've watched you for since New York, and let me tell you. You have been quite the entertainment."

"So why contact us now?" Why warn us?" Wanda spoke up, staring at the screen.

"Because of her. She belongs to me, and I will have her." He took another drag from the cigarette. "See you soon, Nicholette." With the ex-hale of smoke, the screen cut off and the lights were restored to the facility. All eyes turned to Nicki, as Clint walked forward.

"Nick, who was that?" Clint moved to put his hands on his sisters shoulders, but at his touch, she jerked back, unfrozen. She looked terrified as she opened her mouth opened and shut. Taking a deep breath, she finally got the words out of her mouth.

"He was on the island."

* * *

 **Cue dramatic music! So is Tony gonna be pissed or what that his system was hacked? Anyway I plan to have a flashback in the next chapter, but I need your help! Do you want the beginning to be interaction between Clint and Nicki or Nicki and Pietro? So please please review and give me some feedback and let me know who you want the interaction between next chapter, and what you want to see in the future!**


	8. Chapter 8

Steve had made a call to Stark to tell him that the technology of the compound had been compromised. Tony had promised to be at the base by morning and to secure the network. Meanwhile Natasha was granted access to his personal lab to shut down the compound, the camera's disabled. Steve had been reluctant to shutdown the security of the compound, but was quickly questioned by Clint, that if the Avenger's couldn't protect their own base without tech, then who were they to protect the world. So Steve ordered Nat to shut them down. Nicholette suddenly found that the soft whirr of the camera's and security had always been the the back of her ear, and now felt uneasy at the sudden silence. She was sitting on a bar stool that she had placed in the corner of the room, itching to have her back covered on each side. She sat with one knee pulled to her chest, biting at her finger. After the unexpected call this morning, she had unfrozen long enough to move to the corner that she remained throughout the buzz of the team moving around and securing the previously compromised compound. Slowly the team began to arrange themselves around the room. Wanda sat next to Pietro on the loveseat, beginning to nod back off to sleep, resting her head on her brother's shoulder. Clint took a seat on the kitchen island counter, a cup of coffee in his hand. Natasha had returned from the lab and sat in a chair, curling her legs underneath of her, while Steve remained standing.

"Will you all stop staring?!" Nicki broke the silence, as all eyes turned to her. "Your killing me over here." The blonde slipped from her chair and moved past Clint to the counter. She poured herself a drink. Going to walk past Clint, the archer reached to go take it from her. Nicki stopped and held up a hand. Sending her brother a death stare for his attempted action.

"Nicki, your not even allowed to drink yet." Clint spoke, sighing as Nicki walked past him.

"Wait your not 21?" Steve turned around looking slightly confused.

"20."

"Weren't you drunk when we first met?" Pietro inquired.

"I didn't have to buy any of the liquor."

"How did you even get in the club?" Natasha turned her head.

"They didn't look at my ID too hard."

"Yeah, did you see what you were wearing?" Clint mumbled under her breath. Nicki took a drink of the scotch.

"Leave it alone." Nicki snapped before taking a seat back on her chair, resting her back on the wall.

"Fine then, lets talk about Mr. Black Lungs. Who is he?" Clint jumped down from the counter, coming to lean on the back of the chair Natasha sat on. Nicki fliched as she rubbed her hands together slowly.

"Silas Marcot." Pietro nudged at Wanda to wake her up as Nicki began to speak. Steve came and sat on the edge of the coffee table. They all leaned forward as they watched Nicki, who wrapped her arm around herself as she began to tell the team who Silas Marcot was.

* * *

 _Nicki had been on the island for four days now, alone, and quite angry. She fumed at everything, from the sand to the trees. She had spent two of those day on the section of beach that she had first come upon, but soon found that she couldn't stay there for long. There was nothing that she could survive off of. So Nicholette began to walk. Her boots crunched through the sand as she walked the beach all the way around the island. That took over one day to do, and Nicki soon found that this place was massive. Staring into the dense woods that started only a couple yards from the sea, was quite intimidating. She layed back on the sand, as the tried to figure her next move. Her skin hurt, and her body ached already. But she needed supplies. Water, food, shelter. She couldn't stay on this beach forever. The young girl crawled to her feet, and closed her eyes as a wave of nausea passed. Her hair swung at her waist as she began to walk to the trees. Placing her hand on the first tree she came upon, she reached into the back of her spandex and pulled out her makeshift knife. It was constructed out of washed up debris that was found of the island, consisting of fishing line, stone, and glass. Nicki dug it into the tree that she found. Nicki carved her initials into the tree, and took a deep breath before taking a step back. Her makeshift knife had been seriously chipped from the simple task. Putting it back in her waistband, she worked her way through the thick brush. The grass scratched at her legs and she would reach down occasionally to knock off bugs that clung to her skin._

 _The young Barton would have guessed that she walked about a mile before coming across a clearing. Her eyes fell upon a steep cliff, a waterfall falling over the side into a light blue pond._

 _"How big is this place?" Nicki murmured her breath, before kneeling down to pull dirt and bugs out of her boots. Getting back to her feet, she walked alongside the edge of the water. Glancing into the clear water, a glint shone in the sunlight. Taking a tentative step into the water, she bent down and grabbed it. Standing back up she inspected it. Running her fingers over the smooth metal, she found it was a clasp. From what, she had no idea. Yet, if metal was found this far away from the beach, she couldn't be alone. Her eyes began to search the beach, and found their ways to the top of the cliff. Flickering over the top, she settled on a spot near the waterfall. "Hey... Hey! I'm down here!" Nicki screamed, her voice cracking, running towards the wall, her boots sinking in the soft dirt. She watched as the dark figure turned. He was leaving. "Wait! Pleas-" her foot caught underneath a branch, and she fell. Her knees slammed into the dirt, the rest of her body soon following into a faceplant. When her face lifted from the dirt, the figure was gone. She shook her foot out, and limped to the rock wall. Running her hands over the rough surface, Nicki attempted to find a hold to grab onto._

 _"I really wouldn't try to climb that thing." Nicki froze at the male voice. Taking a deep breath, she turned to be hit with a cloud of smoke. Coughing, Nicki opened her eyes to see a boy, only a few years older than her, maybe 18, holding a cigarette. "What, something got your tongue?"_

 _"Dehydration, maybe." Niki didn't move, and instead moved to grab the makeshift-weapon from the back of her spandex. When the stranger reached behind him, Nicki tightened her grasp on the knife. She was ready to run when he moved his arm back around. But he was clutching a water bottle. He held it out for her. The blonde didn't move._

 _"Didn't you say you were thirsty?"_

 _"I don't even know who you are. Who just appears on an island?" Nicki took a slow step to the side, allowing her space to move is need be._

 _"Silas Marcot. And I happen to live here. Water?" With slow movements, Nicki grabbed the drink out of his hand. The boy lifted the cigarette to his mouth, and took a long drag. "And who might you be?" Nicki took a slow refreshing drink before answering._

 _"Nicholette B-" She stopped herself. She didn't know who he was and if he would help. Barton was a well known name among certain groups, and she didn't know if this was one of them. The blonde worked her sudden silence by coughing. The boys piercing green eyes prompted her to continue._

 _"Bellamy. Nicholette Bellamy."_

 _"Nice to meet you Nicholette Bellamy. What do you say we head inside, looks like there's about to be a storm." Silas held out his hand for her to grab. Nicholette stared at it before placing the water bottle in it, and waving her hand._

 _"Lead the way."_

* * *

"He doesn't seem like a bad guy. I mean he got you off the island right?" Steve reclined on the sofa, listening to the story. Nicki laughed.

"No, he's the reason I was on the Island longer. That guy has a major, and I mean _major_ god complex. You step out of line and he blows his top." Nicki finished her glass of liquor, as Natasha sat forward, looking concerned.

"What did you do to find that out?"

"I told him no." Clint opened his mouth to question what her response to, when Nicholette continued. "Since I 'appeared' on the island, he thought that I was a gift to him. And when I told him he was crazy, he flipped."

"What happened?" Clint mumbled, comprehending his sister's story.

"Pietro, you wondered where my scars came from?" The silvered haired boy nodded, "Thats it." Everyone was silent, as they each thought about what this young boy would mean for them.

"So how did you get out? What happened?" Steve scratched at his head, trying to formulate plans in his head.

"I already had stolen some stuff, I mean the place was massive. I found clothes, weapons, supplies, so I packed them into a pack that I found, and tossed them out a window, and ran."

"You went back into the woods?" Wanda was fully awake as she posed the question.

"Yeah, I had stuff to survive then. I wasn't fresh out of water in spandex, and a tanktop. I had clothes from the people who were guarding the building, and I had a bag full of weapons. I was ready."

"You shouldn't of had to been ready." Clint murmured.

"How did you get off the island?" Pietro stretched his legs in front of him starting to get agitated by sitting still for so long. As soon as the blonde opened her mouth to speak, Natasha started to laugh.

"She climbed a freaking radio tower!" Steve looked shocked, and Natasha smiled. "She had an island full of people looking for her, and she went to the most obvious place, an almost 2,000ft tower, and used it to get a call out. We had a SHEILD jet out within minutes."

"So you telling me that this girl was able to use let alone climb a tower with no equipment, after running around on an island for blank amount of time at the age of..." Everyone turned to see Stark walk in, bags in his hand.

"Sixteen." Nicki supplied, leaving Tony to whistle.

"Clint, why didn't you mention her earlier? I brought breakfast by the way."He set the bags on the table and Pietro was the first one there, digging through the bags. The speedster ended up on the counter his mouth stuffed with food, as the rest of the food was passed out. Tony poured himself a glass of coffee and handed the pot to Clint who stood next to him. Nicki watched as the team surrounded the island and grabbed their respected food, before settling around the kitchen.

"So the question is, what does he want?" Wanda poked a berry with her fork.

"And how do we go about it?" Pietro finished the obvious statement, before shoving more food in his mouth.

"I think it's pretty obvious that he wants me, he think's I belong to him."

"We'll we can't just hand you over." Clint took a gulp of his coffee.

"I would hope not." Nicki scoffed. Silence fell through the kitchen as everyone ate. Stark sat on the counter and tapped away on his phone for a few minutes before announcing,

"Well the server should be secure now, and I just rebooted our systems." Tony dozed off, but jumped up as if he remembered something important. "Nicks!"

"Not my name, but okay." Nicki motioned for the scientist to continue.

"I had a designer work on a suit for you, considering your a part of the team and all. I brought it with me. I want you to go try it on, its hanging in my lab. Lets head that way." Tony hopped down from the counter, and began walking away, leaving Nicki to follow his long strides. When they finally reached the lab, Tony put hit thumb print on a panel, allowing the doors to slide open. Setting his coffee mug down on the white glossed counter, he plopped himself in a chair, rolling himself against the tile. Tony picked a brown box off of the counter and handed it to Nicki. He pointed to a bathroom without looking and began to tap away on his computer. As Nicki turned around to go enter the bathroom, Tony threw another box at her. "Dont forget the _accessories._ " Tony smiled at the young girl who gave him a sceptical look.

"Sure Stark." Closing the bathroom door behind her, she dropped the boxes on the counter. She pulled the first box apart, and puled our the material. The slick fabric wanted to slide through her finger. Stripping off her sweatshirt and sweatpants, she tossed them in a pile on he ground. Finding a zipper on the new fabric, she pulled it down before slipping into the catsuit. Wiggling her way into the suit, she did a few jumps before slipping her arms through the arm holes. Nicki was pleased to see that it was sleeveless. Doing a few arm circles, she zipped the front up, and ran her hands over the material. It clung to her curves, and she could feel her skin breathing. Reaching into the same box, she pulled out a pair of gloves made of the same materials. Taking a deep breath, she tried to pull the gloves apart, only to find that the material was very durable and would not be easily torn. A small smile was growing on her face as the gloves were pulled over her hands. Her slim fingers appeared through the the holes at the end of each finger. Her black nails matching the fabric. The gloves looked to be a second skin, ending in the middle of her forearm. Flexing her wrist, she found that the material barley moved. Opening the other, larger box, Nicki found a pair of boots were the first thing to catch her eye. Pulling the boots out of the box, the blonde set them on the ground, and slipped her feet into them. They fit her feet, and were slim up to mid calf. They were slim with a single zipper in the front. Looking back in the box, she pulled out a belt, which she tightened at the small of her waist. Pulling out two straps, the blonde crossed them in an 'x' pattern across her chest. Finding the box empty, Nicholette exited the small room, to find Tony still at the desk. "Stark, what are these straps for?" Tony turned around and smiled.

"Yay! It fits perfectly! And those m'dear, are for your new weapons." Nicki opened her mouth to question what they were exactly, but Tony reached onto the cluttered table and pulled out a pair of long batons. He set them down in front of the Barton, and gestured at them with excitement before crossing his arms tightly trying to keep himself from exploding.

"What are they?"

"First lets talk about the suit. I mainly used the material from Natasha's considering you guys are very similar in fighting style and body type, although you also preformed like your brother, so along the main parts on the suit, that won't bend, such as the top of the thigh and stomach, it thicker material seen in Steve's suit." Tony took a deep breath to regain his voice before continuing. "The shoes are super light while maintaining their durability, and the gloves are thick so you won't injure your hands. The straps are where these will attach to your back for easy access. They are thick leather sticks basically, although," Tony had a glint in his eye as he ran his hand over his work. "if you press this button, "he held down a small lever at the top of the handle, "and pull, you will get this." He pulled the leather part down to show a shiny steel, with a wicked sharp edge on it.

"Holy..." Nicholette ran her fingers over the blade, before Tony snapped it back shut. Stark moved around her and he snapped the battons on her back. She reached over her head and pulled them out, spinning them in circles as she got used to the feeling of them. She heard the door open and sun around, her hair falling around her shoulders. Nicki found Pietro walking in carrying a clipboard, when he looked up he stopped. "Whatcha think?" She spun in a circle and clipped the battons on her back. When she finished her rotation, she placed her hands on her hips. Pietro stood frozen, and Tony clapped his hands, drawing his attention.

"Whatcha need kid?"

"A package came, and it needs your approval." Pietro flashed over to Tony and handed him a clip board. Tony signed with a flourished signature.

"Still didn't answer me!" Nicki called from the background. The speedster turned and gave the girl a smile.

"I think Clint will have a heart attack."

* * *

Ahhhhh I am so sorry that this tiny little thing took so long! It had been a hell of a past two weeks. For the first one I had volleyball camp all week from like 7-6 so I would come right home and crash. Then We had my whole family over for a surprise party for my aunt. Then my grandparents had to stay for all last week cause my great grandfather passed. Not to mention ti was the county fair and i helped my best friend with her cows and animals all week. SO I have been super busy and i am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry for not getting this up sooner.

Anyway thanks for sticking around, and if you have any questions or requests please please reveiw and let me know what you think! I love to hear from you guys!


	9. Chapter 9

Pietro was wrong, Clint didn't have a heart attack. He just fell off his chair. He eventually came around, once Natasha talked him into it, telling him that it was similar to the black widow suit. Steve shuffled through a drawer, and pulled out a piece of leather. The super soldier walked over and looped it around one of the straps, and snapped it shut. Glancing at it everyone saw the red 'A' that now adorned her suit.

"You got suit, you got your villain, your an avenger now." Steve gave his small speech. Natasha let out a whoop in the background, and Wanda started to laugh. "I hate to break this party up but," Clint rolled his eyes, and moaned. "With that kid breaking into our systems, we need to train. Everyone go change and meet in the gym in 10." Grudgingly everyone rose and went their separate ways. Steve and Natasha stayed in the kitchen to clean everything up, as the others went down the hall to the sleeping area to change. Nicki changed out of her new gear, and placed it in a duffel bag for quick access. She quickly pulled her hair into a pony tail before slipping on a pair of shorts and a sports bra. Grabbing her sneakers, she rushed into the hallway, trying not to be late for Rogers 10 minute policy. Turning to walk down the hallway, she stopped when she heard Clint call after her.

"Whats up?" Nicki questioned, tying a bandana around her head as a headband, attempting to hold her shoes under her arm as she did so.

"Why didn't you tell me about Silas?" Clint stated. Nicki grabbed her shoes from under her arm.

"Clint, come on, we've been getting along okay. Let's not ruin that."

"Cause not having communication is a great way to maintain a relationship." Clint rolled his eyes, before opening the door the gym for Nicki.

"Well it's better than having another blowout." When the Bartons walked into the room, everyone else was already there, minus Tony and Bruce. Wanda was in the corner, weights and random objects surrounded her glowing in red. Her hair was occasionally being lifted as a blue blur ran itself around the track tht edged the gym. Steve was pummeling a punching bag, and Natasha was doing some tumbles in the boxing ring. Heading over to the ring, Nicki dropped her shoes on the floor before dipping under the ropes.

"Wanna spar?" Nicki tightened her ponytail, as Nat swiped at some flyaways. The two got into position, and put their hands up. Nicki stood firm as Natasha began to move her feet to circle the blonde. Tucking her chin into her shoulder Nicki watched her friends out of the corner of her eye. The redhead finally made her move. Lunging Nat threw her elbow at Nicki, only to have the blonde duck. Nicki quickly stood and used her back to toss Nat across the ring. Natasha landed on her hand and rolled forward, immediately springing back to try and catch Nicki off guard. The Barton dropped and took Nat's feet out from underneath of her. Natasha threw a fist out and grabbed Nicki's long hair and yanked her to the floor. Natasha swung her leg over, and hit the young girl in the back.

"That was dirty." Nicki coughed, tumbling to her feet. Natasha only smiled before taking a defensive stance. Nicki lunged and flipped over Natasha, aiming a kick at her head. Turning on a dime, the Black Widow caught the girls leg and twisted it. Nicki used that momentum to spin her torso, and caught Nat on the side of the face with her other foot. Jumping in her same recoil motion, Natasha threw her own feet up and placed a kick in between Nicki's shoulder blades, and still holding her one foot, landed onto of the girl. The match was over, with Natasha perched on the back of the girl, pulling her left leg to her chest. The blonde tapped on the white mat, as Natasha stood and held out her hand. Grabbing it Nicki hopped to her feet, and rubbed at her back.

"You've improved." Nat smiled, tossing her arm over the girl.

"Considering the last time we sparred was before the island, I'd hope so." Nicki slipped under the ring, and bent down to actually put her shoes on. When she stood back up she noticed that the blur had stopped, and was now next to Wanda, who had one hand in her hair and the other on her hips. Pietro had his hand on her shoulder and was waving his other hand in the air. Wiping a layer of sweat off of her forehead, Nicki walked over to the twins. As she got closer she saw that Wanda was upset. "Whats wrong Wanda?"

"I can not get this right!"

"What are you trying to do?" The blonde spoke in a soft voice. Turing to face where the brunette was looking. Wanda opened her mouth but shut it again to stop herself from screaming in frustration.

"She is trying to pull the box apart only to put it back together again."Pietro pointed at the box which was in pieces on the ground. Nicki stepped forward and stooped down. Reassembling the box was alot tricker that originally thought, but within a few moments the box was back together.

"Just relax. It's no rush to put it back together. Just breathe and keep at it, take a break if you need to." Nicki smiled at the witch, as Wanda sat on the bench, settling her breathing.

"Hey Nicki." Nicki turned at the sound of her brother, hollering across the gym. Heading over to Clint, and following him into the hallway that was outside of the gym doors.

"Yeah?"

"I need you to tell me." Clint stated, with a shrug of his shoulders, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Clint... I thought this was serious."

"Nicki, I've been racking my brain. I need to know." Nicki looked at Clint, their similar eyes, matching each others gaze. The girl rolled her eyes, reaching up and pulling her hair out of the pony tail, scrunching it to give her scalp some relief.

"You never asked." Nicki said that matter of factly. As if it didn't matter anymore. She was trying to get over it, and going back on it wouldn't fix anything. Yet, as much as she contained herself, she could feel her hand begin to shake. Clint froze. He seemed confused as he shifted his feet, shuffling on the tile.

"What do you mean?" His voice barley came as a whisper.

"You never asked me what happened on the island, so I didn't tell." At this point, Nicki could see Clint was getting frustrated. This was going to end badly.

" Of course I asked. Your my sister, I would have asked you as soon as you were home." Clint began to raise his voice from the whisper.

"Yeah, except I spent months in the hospital, so I neve actually went home. You didn't ask!" Nicki rose her sound level to match Clint. Which lead to the volume of the Barton's steady rise, in attempts to outmatch each other.

"I asked if you were okay! Don't deny that!" Clint spoke.

"Yeah, thats not the same thing!"

"You said you were fine!"

"I had spent months on a island of course I wasn't fine! And adding on that, I wouldn't want to tell anyone what happened! You were suppose to figure it out!" Nicki retaliated.

"How was I suppose to know?!" Nicki's eyes widened in shock, before yelling at her brother.

"Are you serious?! So your Hawkeye on the boat, when I needed my brother, but when I needed Hawkeye you were being an idiot!" Cint opened his mouth to yell back, but they were interrupted by Natasha sticking her head out.

"We can hear you." By the time, Clint turned back to his sister, she was gone.

* * *

Nicki threw her door open, and slammed it shut. The blonde was boiling. Kicking off her shoes, she rushed in the bathroom and stripped. Nicki jumped into the shower, and turned the water on. She had realized her mistake too late. Normally she would have turned the water on and let it warm, and ease her way into the water. But in her frustration, she turned the water on _after_ already being in the shower. Nicki tensed when she was hit with the stream of cold water. In all honesty, it scared her. Suddenly she was back in the island. Going to rush out of the shower, Nicki slipped and landed on the hard tile of the shower floor. The sudden impact left her on the tile as the water finally warmed, pulling her back to the bathroom. Pulling her breathing back together, she quickly washed, and got out.

Wrapping herself in a towel, Nicki took a seat on the counter, and took a few moments to breathe. This morning had been crazy. Silias was back, and she had a multitude of reminders of her time on the island. It had been years since she had that many reminders of the dreaded place. But somehow in less than two weeks, she had regained her nightmares and had wanted to drink herself to death. She needed a break already. Talking a long breath, Nicki jumped off the counter and walked into the closet. Nicki grabbed a pair of lace tights, and put a pair of short high-waisted denim shorts on overtop of the tights. Tucking a white v-neck tank in the shorts, she stormed over to the vanity, grabbing the straps of her black bra, she shifted the, to show the bra through the shirt before sitting at the vanity.

Nicki rubbed her eyes. Bags were beginning to form under her eyes, and her skin looked dull. She quickly covered her dull skin and bags with makeup and applied dark eye makeup, and a nude lip. Standing quickly, knocking over the chair she was recently sitting, she stepped into a pair of heeled combat boots, and grabbed a black leather jacket. Running her fingers through her hair, she fluffed it and walked out her door. She had to get out. Walking past everyone, she pushed past Clint who tried to talk to her to the garage of the compound. Grabbing a random key off the hook, she took a moment to find the car that she was holding the key to. Being one of Tony's cars, it was a luxury sports car. Probably worth somewhere in the 90 thousands. Slipping into the drivers seat, she peeled out of the garage. Nicki leaned back in the seat of the car as it rolled down the road. Clint was so annoying. He was the one who asked the question. Why didn't he want to know the truth, let alone get angry when she told it. Her hand relaxed on the wheel as she whipped around a turn. God she needed a drink. Honestly though, she didn't feel like dealing with city traffic. So she continued to drive. This led to more thinking. Clint had tried to stop her on the way out, but she didn't want to listen. That was kinda her fault. Nicholette recognized that Clint wasn't the whole problem, as Wanda had told her once before. Yet, Nicki couldn't stop herself from making the situation worse. She had also risen her voice in the hallway, and screamed before Clint had screamed. Things would never change like this.

Nicki reached into the center console of the car and grabbed her cell phone. Dialing Clint's number, she held the phone to her ear. The tone continued and ended. Nicki left a voicemail.

"Clint, I guess I'm sorry I yelled in the hallway. It shouldn't have rose to that level, I'm going to drive some more to clear my head. When I get back, we should talk." Nicki hung up the phone, and tossed it back in the center of the car. Nicki was already about an hour from the compound when she decide do turn around. It was getting dark, leading Nicki to turn on her high beams. The blonde wasn't driving for long when she spotted a car on the side of the road. Someone was leaning against the side of the road with their head in their hands. Normally Nicki would keep driving, after all she was a young girl, but being the only car on the road. There would be no one else driving by anytime soon. Pulling along side of the car, Nicki stepped out and walked over slowly. "Need some help?" Then person turned around to show that it was also a young girl. Maybe a year or two younger than Nicki.

"Yes! My car seems to have blown something, I know nothing about cars. Think you could take a look?" The girl had short brown hair, and green eyes. She looked harmless.

"I can take a look." Nicki told the girl to pop the hood, and walked to the front of the car. Pulling the hood up Nicki stared at the engine. This couldn't be too hard right? Nicki ran her hand over the cool engine. Nicki saw that a cap was loose on top of the engine. This was starting to nag the back of Nicholette's mind. How long had she been sitting here, if her engine was completely cool. Yet, this was the same road that Nicki was on not twenty minutes ago, and the car wasn't here. "What has you out so late?"

"You know how it is, got in a fight with my brother." The girl walked alongside of Nicki. The problem was Nicki did know what it was like to fight with a sibling, but how did this girl know that she did. Nicki reached into the bottom of the engine, and pulled a plug. Of course the plug was perfectly fine where it was, however Nicki had a bad feeling in her gut.

"Well that should fix it. Although I'm sure there was nothing wrong with it to start." Nicki shut the hood and turned around. Only to receive a fist to the face. Nicki recoiled, and took a step back.

"You know, Silias said you were smart, but it wasn't supposed to go like this." The girl smirked and a breeze lifted her hair off her neck. Nicki saw the glimpse of a scar.

"And how was this suppose to go?" Nicki questioned, beginning to circle around to get on the other side of the girl. She was stopped short by a gun.

"Easy."

"I'm not a fan of guns you know." Niki lunged, and grabbed the girl. Grabbing her wrist and twisting, Nicki heard a crack, as the gun fell from the girls grasp. Snatching it from the pavement, Nicki punched the girl in the face, knocking her to the pavement. Her heels clashing on the pavement, Nicki slid into the drivers seat of her car and tossed the gun into her lap. Twisting the key, the Barton threw the car into gear and peeled out, as she clicked her seatbelt. In her rear view mirror Nicki watched as the girl stood and pulled out a cell phone. That couldn't be good. Whipping around a bend, Nicki picked up the gun in her lap and studied it. Turns out it wasn't a gun, what it was was something Nicki couldn't place. She tossed it in the backseat as she reached for her phone. She got Clint's voicemail again. "Damn." This day just kept getting better and better. Lights behind her startled the girl, as she pushed the gas petal further down. Nicki went to go look at her phone to call Natasha, when the car behind her hit her bumper, knocking the device out of her hand and onto the ground. Another curse fell from her lips. Nicki didn't know what to do. Her phone was out of reach, Clint didn't awnser, and she was over half and hour away from base.

Yet, Nicki didn't have to worry about that for long. Her world exploded as a truck collided with the side of her car. She screamed as her hands left the wheel to go to her face, as glass flew around her face. The noise deafened Nicki for a moment, as the car surrounding her screamed and groaned. Everything flew around her as the car rolled and skidded on the pavement. When the car finally rolled to a stop, Nicki's vision was blurry. She was being suspended from the car by the seatbelt, the roof resting on the ground. Through the broken glass, Nicki found she was now on the side of the road in the grass. Her head was pounding, and Nicki could feel blood scattered on her face and chest.

"You weren't suppose to kill her you moron!"Nicki heard voices approaching the overturned car. Her hands moved to the seatbelt clasp, that was holding her to the seat. In attempts to push it, pain flared through her whole body with every movement. The belt wouldn't release.

"Well if the girl had done her job, we wouldn't have an issue." Nicki closed her eyes, and went limp, her arms falling above her head. Maybe they would think she was dead and leave her alone. Instead she felt fingers on her neck. They found her pulse. She continued her act, unsure of what to do. There was a pinch in her neck, and then she heard the men depart. Her whole body hurt. Her hands went to her neck and found nothing. Right now she had to focus on getting out of the car. She tried the seatbelt again. No luck, it was stuck. Nicki hadn't even realized she was crying until the tears hit the ground. She was getting a massive headache from hanging upside down, a piercing ring not helping the pain. Glancing at the roof turned flooring, Nicki found her phone was lit must have been tossed during the crash. She reached for it as fast as she could, although it was not that fast. Her hand wrapped around the phone, and slid the lock open through the cracked screen. After a few moments, Nicki was able to put the phone on speaker, unable to lift it to her ear.

"Nicki, are you there?" A heavily accented voice came through the phone. Nicki began to cry more at the prospect that she could get someone out here. Let alone the fastest member on the team.

"Pietro..." Nicki felt her eyes begin to close. She blinked them back open.

"Great! I just wanted to check on you because last time you got drunk, and Clint just went out. Anyway-" Pietro seemed to talk as fast as he ran, and Nicki couldn't keep up.

"I need you." At this Pietro stopped speaking. Attentive on the other side of the phone, Pietro heard the shaky breaths along with the quick intakes of breath.

"Where?" Nicki took a moment to gain her breath, and told him to run along the road and he would find her. The phone clicked, and went blank. At this point, Nicki was sure there was no blood in any other part of her body other than her head. She closed her eyes, and when she opened then Pietro was outside the window. Nicki couldn't of told anyone how long it took. Pietro's hair was tossed from the wind, and his eyes were widened by the sight of the wrecked car.

"P-" The speedster cut her off, and crawled into the car, lying on his back across the roof of the car. He grabbed a shard of glass, and began to work on the seat belt. Once the seatbelt was finally broken, Nicki fell onto Pietro with a cry.

"It's okay." Pietro wrapped an arm around Nicki and wormed his way out of the car. Sitting on the glass, Pietro looked over his teammate, and she was not looking good. Her skin was pale, and small cuts left blood scattered across her skin and clothes. He helped her sit up and Nicki immediately went limp. The sudden rush of the blood from her head to the rest of her body left her barely conscious. Pietro lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck, as he stood, and picked her up. Nicki wrapped her legs around his hips, and she began to nod off. "No, you must stay awake." And with that Pietro took off running down the road.

* * *

 **I feel like I got this up quickly, but I also feel like it has been a week. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and I would love to hear from you guys! Everytime I get a review I do a little dance, and go type some of the next chapter. So I hope you hear what you guys think, and what you guys want to see, either between Nicki and Clint or Pietro or Nat or Wanda or Steve, or pretty much anyone. Yeah, so I think thats it...**


	10. Chapter 10

By the time that Clint had gotten the message and was able to get to the compound, Nicki was asleep. The SHIELD medics had told Pietro that she was concuss, but other than that, perfect health. No broken bones, or major wounds. The older Barton had come running into the compound at full sprint.

"Where's Nicki?" He breathed, coming to a stop in the living area.

"She's sleeping." Steve stood to calm his team mate, but the purple wearing shirt walked past him to Natasha.

"She shouldn't be sleeping, she's probably concuss!" Natasha stood and and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Medics said she is concussed, but Pietro is in the room to monitor her and wake her every two hours." Natasha tried to reason with the frantic Clint. Pulling away from Natasha, he walked down the hall to Nicki's room. Opening the door, he saw Pietro first. The boy was sprawled in a chair Nicki had in the corner next to her bed. Nicki herself was lying in the center of her bed, fluffy blankets pulled to her neck. She was swamped on the mess of pillows and blankets that the bed provided.

"How is she?" Clint whispered. Pietro opened his eyes and sat up in the chair. His eyes glanced over Nicki and back to Clint.

"She had headache before she fell asleep, but she will be okay." Pietro ran his fingers through his hair, fixing the wild mess. Clint sighed, and sat on the edge of the bed. Pushing Nicki's hair out of her face, be bent down a kissed her forehead.

"I really don't hate her, you know." Clint spoke.

"Never said you did." Pietro leaned back in his chair.

"Yeah, but I can tell you think that. You and Wanda are so close, and I fight with Nicki everyday." Clint moved his hand from Nicki's hair, and leaned back on the headboard. "She's just so stubborn."

"But your suppose to keep her grounded. Most of the time, it is Wanda who is the grounded one. But it was not always that way. When we were first changed by Stucker's experiments, Wanda was scared, and not so grounded." Pietro explained to the blond man. "I believe Nicki is the same. Except she is still scared."

"She told me I never asked her about the island. She was right."

"They usually are. I do not even bother to question Wanda on things anymore." Clint chuckled, and looked at his little sister.

"I should probably do the same."

* * *

When Nicki woke up, she had a massive headache. _Still._ Pushing the blankets off, she sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. Glancing around the room she saw Clint sprawled across the bottom of her bed and Pietro was laid across a chair. Sliding her feet out of the bed, she inspected the carpet for a moment as she stood, allowing for her vision to clear. Taking her time, she walked down the hallway slowly. Upon reaching the kitchen, she found Wanda making breakfast.

"Morning." Nicki mumbled. Wanda turned around quickly.

"Nicki! How are you feeling?" The brunette gave Nicki a hug and helped her to a chair. Sitting down, the blonde leaned on the counter, Wanda handing her a mug of coffee.

"Fine, I guess."

"Everyone was worried. You should have seen Pietro carry you in. I thought he was going to run a hole in the foor."

"Yeah, when I woke up he was still in the room. Clint was there too." Nicki began to drink the coffee.

"What happened? You were not gone for more than two hours."

"Got in another fight with Clint, went out, tried to be nice, crashed a car, and now I'm here." Nicki gave a smile and gave the shortest version possible.

"In other words, if you did not fight with your brother, you would not have gotten in trouble." Wanda turned the stove off and sat next to Nicki. "With Silias coming back, you are going to need your brother. No matter what had occurred in the past, Clint truly wants to help. I can tell that much."

"Yeah, I should probably talk to him. After all I did storm." Nicki downed the last of her coffee, and slowly got off the chair. "Thanks Wanda." Nicki began her way down the hallway, her hand trailing on the wall.

"Nicki!" Wanda called out, causing Nicki to look over her shoulder. "With Silas looming over you, you will need Clint. If anything, you need your family." Nicki smiled and turned back around, walking down the hallway. After a few moments of walking, Nicki was hit with a wave of nausea. Leaning against the wall, the blonde closed her eyes. Taking slow breaths, her eyes shot open at a touch on her shoulder.

"You okay? When I came in last night you were asleep." Clint stood in front of her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Nicki pushed off the wall, and began her slow walk back to her room. Clint, who was originally on his way to get coffee, detoured and helped Nicki down the hall.

"Are you sure? I mean apparently you wouldn't tell me if you weren't okay." Clint said, glancing at his little sister. Her eyebrows knit, trying to decide whether that was meant as an insult of not. At this moment, she couldn't handle another fight, so she laughed.

"Yeah, I'll be good after I figure out what Silas wants. I mean, he hacked, then radio silence. I don't get it."

"Yeah, it has been a while." The Bartons walked in silence, and Clint broke it with three simple words. "I was wrong." This cause Nicki to quickly look up at him.

"What?"

"I never did ask you about the island. I didn't want to." Nicki rolled her eyes.

"Cause that's what I wanna hear. You didn't want to know about he island. Fantastic." Nicki spit, and as if Clint could feel her blood begin to boil, he quickly finished his statement.

"I didn't want to know because, that would make it real." Clint took a step away from Nicki, facing her.

"Clint, it was real. For months, it was real."

"Thats not what I meant. It would be real that I failed. I wasn't able to keep you safe, and I left you alone. I didn't want to recognize that I failed us. The Bartons." Clint sighed.

"Well, if we are being 'real', then I failed us too I guess." Clint began to laugh.

"You guess? Okay Nicki, I'll let you think on that." Chuckling, he opened the door to Nicki's room.

"What, I didn't know we were suppose to prepare speeches! I mean jeez, how long did it take you to come up with that?" The siblings smiled and laughed as if the island have never happened. Clint felt his pocket begin to vibrate. Digging into his jeans he answered the call. Turning his back, he began to talk on his cell. Nicki walked over to her bed and plopped down, grabbing a pillow to throw at the still sleeping speedster. Pietro jumped up and looked around the room.

"Rise and shine dear." Nicki smiled before turning back to her brother who was still on the phone.

"How ar-"

"If I hear another person ask me how I'm doing, someone is going to get smacked." Nicki took a sip of the water bottle on her nightstand.

"Glad to see you are okay then." Pietro stood and stretched his legs out from being in a chair all night.

"You know you didn't have to stay in here all night, you did more than enough by coming to get me." Nicki looked at the silver-haired man, whose stomach was growling. Clint came back into the room, an annoyed look on his face.

"Hey, so _someone_ decided it would be a _brilliant_ idea to have a prison break. _In the middle of New York City._ So in other words The Avengers need to go figure this out." Clint groaned.

"Isn't that a job for the police?" Nicki questioned, her eyebrows knitting together.

"Yeah, but it was a lot of the guys that we put up in the first place. So Steve called us all in."

"All of us?" Pietro questioned, crossing his arms across his chest, leaning against a wall.

"Not the new team. You guys are suppose to stay here and hold down the base, incase any of them come knocking."

"So it's you, Nat, Cap, and Stark?" Nicki stated, crossing her feet underneath of her, placing her hands in her lap. "What about Banner and Thor?"

"Banner just left on a personal thing, something about his blood pressure. And Thor is back on Asgard taking care of the Loki's scepter." Clint's phone began to beep loudly. "That would be the Captain. I need to go now. You guys stay here, and keep an ear out. Call if you need anything." Clint walked out of the room to go change into his uniform. Nicki stood up and began to walk to her closet.

"What are you doing?"Pietro inquired, watching the blonde.

"I'm gonna take a shower, then probably go over some old files about the island." Nicki opened the door to the bathroom, and Pietro began to head to the kitchen to talk to Wanda. Pietro stuck his head back into the room.

"Quick question. If you are scared of water, how does the shower not scare you?"

"It's not the water I'm scared of, its of things I cant control. Large water currents are included in that. Also, my feet remain in contact with the ground in the shower."

"That makes sense. I'll be in the living room if you need something." And with that, Pietro left to go fill Wanda in about the prison break.

* * *

 **So I know it's short, but it really just a filler chapter to set up the next one. Hopefully it will be long and action packed. So let me know what you guys think and give me some feedback! On a side note, I start my senior year _tommorrow._ So I'll update when I can, but It will probally be a little bit abnormal in the schedule. Till next time, enjoy!**


	11. Chapter 11

The rest of the day passed pretty much uneventfully. Clint and Natasha called periodically to check in on Nicki and the twins. The prisoners who were released proved to be much more difficult to deal with than originally thought, and the team were still rounding them up as the sun began to set. The Maximoff twins sat on the couch, Wanda's feet thrown on her brother's lap.

"What do you two want for dinner?" Nicki called out from the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge. Picking up a half empty container of yogurt, set it back down. "Never mind, we have nothing to eat." Shutting the door, she walked over to the couch. "Im going to get food." Nicki sat on a chair to begin to pull on a pair of shoes. Wanda quickly stood up.

"No. I will do it, and you stay here." The brunette slipped her feet into flats and grabbed keys off of the counter.

"Wanda, I can take care of it. It's not a problem." Nicki defended, standing to grab the keys from Wanda.

"absolutely not. You are still unwell, and I will go." with that, Wanda exited the room, placing a quick kiss on the top of her brother's head. Nicki walked over the couch and dropped down next to Pietro.

"I'm fine you know." Nick rolled her head on the back of the couch to look at the speedster. Pietro turned to look at the blonde, his hair falling over his forehead.

"I'm sure you are. You only have a brain injury, yes?" The silver-haired avenger smirked, and Nicki sighed.

"Yes, I have a concussion, and that makes me so irrational." Laughing, Nicki tossed her hands in the air, and fell across Pietro's lap. Her short legs were stretched out as she continued to yell. "Pietro darling, you are so lovely, how have I not noticed it before!" Nicki put the back of one of her hands to her forehead, in exaggerated awe. Pietro laughed, listening to the rantings of his teammate.

"You re ridiculous." He chuckled. Unheard to the two, the door to the living section of the compound opened. When Nicki heard footsteps, she spoke,

"Wanda, jolly news! Your brother and I-" she sat up, her blonde hair sliding over her shoulder. Sitting up in Pietro's lap, a smile on her face. Until she saw who was actually in the kitchen.

"I'm offended, you never smiled for me." An accented voice drawled, a cigarette between the lips. Pietro quickly followed her sacred gaze, and saw a man dressed in black clothing, a mass of brown hair on his head.

"Silas." The word was barely spoken, as Nicki's demeanor changed. In fact, Pietro blinked and it was as if Nicki was an entirely new person. Her shoulders were tensed, and she held her head higher. Her chin tilted up at the new person in the room. Her feet touched the ground as she slowly got off of the couch. As she moved, she tapped Pietro twice on the leg quickly, and turned her hand up, showing her palm. When Nicki blinked, her friend was gone, a blue blur in his place. "What do you want?" Nicki slowly moved her feet, making no sound as her plazo pants swirled around her legs. Silas took a drag of the cigarette, as he took a seat on the bar stool.

"You." He stated. Nicki sneered, walking around to couch slowly. Her head was beginning to ache. "There is something else though."

"Which would be?" Pietro ran back into the room and Nicki found her batons in her hands. The Maximoff slid to a stop in front of the blonde.

"Ah, that the million dollar question isn't it." Silas took another drag. Nicki stepped in front of Pietro, placing a hand on his arm as she passed to steady her pounding head. "How are you by the way. Heard you had a wicked crash." Silas' thick eyebrows raised, a devilish grin on his face. Nicki's hand slowly went to her neck, remembering the men that walked up the car.

"What did you do?" Her mask faltered, and for a split second Silas saw her fear.

"I'll let you figure that out." He tilted his head slightly, which Nicki barley noticed. "But for now I must be on my way." He stood and flicked the ashes of his cigarette off the end of the stick, before turning his back on the duo.

"You wouldn't have broken in for such a short conversation." Nicki spoke, tapping Pietro on the shoulder.

"What? I can't come say hello to a dear old friend?" Pietro moved around and got in front of the smoker, as Nicki took steps to come up behind her old acquaintance.

"We are not friends." Silas placed his cigarette in his mouth, turning to face Nicki.

"And these people are? Do they even know you as I do?" Silas' voice began to raise. His face screwed up as he tensed his muscles. Pietro took a step back, unsure of how to handle the situation. He wanted to follow Nicki's lead, as she knew he man in front of him, although he could feel things getting out of hand. Pietro was scared that Nicki was going to start yelling back, as she did with Clint.

"You do not know who I am. You never did." Nicki's voice was stone cold, not raising an octave. If anything she spoke softer, a stark contrast to the words spoken between the Barton siblings.

"I know who you are, and what you do. Do they know what happened on the island? Who you became?!" Silas took a rushed step at the small blonde. Before Pietro could move, Nicki whipped her arm up, only to have her baton blocked by Silas. Reaching forward, Silas grabbed the long blonde hair, and yanked her sideways. Going with the flow, Nicki kicked herself over, her foot connecting with Silas' face before she crashed into the ground. Pietro lunged, and with Silas off balance, he was able to tackle him to the ground. Taking a quick glance at Nicki, he saw that she was still knelt on the floor, her hand pressed against her forehead. Attempting to pin Silas down was harder than Pietro would of thought. He fought dirty. Silas jammed his knee into Pietro's side, as he hit a pressure point on the speedster's arm. Nicki was finally on her feet as Silas was able to worm his way out from Pietro's pin. Nicki lurched. She cracked the baton on Silas' elbow, and spun taking out his knee. With him back on the ground, he laid still. Nicki stood over him, her weapons by her side. Pietro took a moment to look at her. Her face was blank. No fear or anger was shown. Nicki stood tall, and looked down upon Silas who was laughing.

"I became who I needed to be to survive." Nicki whispered.

"As much fun as this was," Silas held up his hands, and got into a kneeling position. "I must be going. Plans and all." Nicki's face didn't move. She still stood overtop of Silas, and it was Pietro who spoke up.

"You can not be serious." With the turn of Silas' head, he answered.

"But I am." With a grin, Silas reached into his pocket before Nicki could move her hand. Pietro saw it as if it was in slow motion, as most things were to him. Silas dug into his pocket as Pietro jumped forward. He was not going to be outwitted this time. When Nicki sw Pietro move she called out for him to stop, but it was too late. Silas had already thrown the object in Pietro's direction. The button sized disc hit Pietro's leg, causing the electo-shock to hit the bottom half of his torso the worst. With a grunt, Pietro's legs faltered and he hit the ground. Nicki stepped forward, but Silias was quicker. Standing quickly, he snached Nicki's wrist and twisted it behind her back. Wrenching the baton from he grasp, Silas drew it back and cracked it across Nicki's face. With a cry, Nicki dropped to the ground, hands going right to her face. Pietro yelled out as he saw Nicki's breath become erratic. Pietro stood, but couldn't get enouhg feeling in his legs to do anything but stumble. Nicki was attempting to catch her breath and contain the pouding in her skull as the two couldn't do anything but watch Silas walk out of the door. Well, he more sprinted out, but was soon stopped by a flash of red.

* * *

 **I'm so sorry that this is another short chapter, but I have a plan for how I want the next chapter to progress, and unfortunately that mean I have to cut this chapter short. So I am very apologetic, but I wanted to get this up for you guys, and see your reaction to the official (?) introduction of Slias. Anyway, I've only gotten one review on the last two/threeish chapters combined, so I would love to hear from you guys and see what I can put in the story that you guys want to see!**

 _ **Face15::: Thank you so much for reviewing, it really means a lot! Anywho- I hope this can hold you over till I get the next chapter up, where I plan to have some major interaction between Nicki and Pietro. Hope to hear form you again!**_


	12. Chapter 12

Wanda was walking back into the compound, bags of takeout in her hands. Her mind was wandering as she took the twist and turns to get to the living area where she had left her brother and Nicki. Wanda wasn't concerned by the fact that the prisoners were loose from a prison in New York, but the fact that even Nicki didn't know what Silas was planning. With Strucker, Wanda always knew what her taste was, and then with Ultron, Wanda may have not know that she was going to change sides by the end of things. But she knew that Pietro would have her back. Yet, Nicki thought Clint had her back before Silias came into their lives, at least from what Nicki had allowed her to see. Wanda was beginning to worry that maybe Silias would take away the bond that her and Pietro had. Yanked out of her thoughts by a man darting around the hallway corner. Instinctively, Wanda dropped the bags of food in her hand and threw her hands up, a red glow emitting itself. In a jerked motion, the man was on the ground in a daze. Taking a second, the brunette overlooked the motionless man on the ground. Recognizing the features from the video, Wanda rushed forward around the door jam. Wanda first saw her brother, who was using a table that stood next to the couch to help him get his legs underneath his body.

"Pietro!" Wanda cried, rushing to his side. Slipping her fingers around his sides, she helped steady the speedster. Looking over his sister's face, his hand resting on the back of her neck, and seeing that she was fine, his attention quickly shifted. He made slow movements, regaining feeling in his legs, to where Nicki was still crouched on the floor. Wanda hadn't even noticed the blonde, due to her utter silence.

"Wanda. We are fine, get Silias to a holding room." Pietro told his younger twin. With slight hesitation, Wanda left. A glow coming from the hallway, as she used her power to lift the man that Wanda was walking back into the compound, bags of takeout in her hands. Her mind was wandering as she took the twist and turns to get to the living area where she had left her brother and Nicki. Wanda wasn't concerned by the fact that the prisoners were loose from a prison in New York, but the fact that even Nicki didn't know what Silias was planning. With Strucker, Wanda always knew what her task was, and then with Ultron, Wanda may have not know that she was going to change sides by the end of things. But she knew that Pietro would have her back. Yet, Nicki thought Clint had her back before Silias came into their lives, at least from what Nicki had allowed her to see. Wanda was beginning to worry that maybe Silias would take away the bond that her and Pietro had. Yanked out of her thoughts by a man darting around the hallway corner. Instinctively, Wanda dropped the bags of food in her hand and threw her hands up, a red glow emmitting itself. In a jerked motion, the man was on the ground in a daze. Taking a second, the brunette overlooked the motionless man on the ground. Recognizing the features from the video, Wanda rushed forward around the door jam. Wanda first saw her brother, who was using a table that stood next to the couch to help him get his legs underneath his body.

"Pietro!" Wanda cried, rushing to his side. Slipping her fingers around his sides, she helped steady the speedster. Looking over his sister's face, his hand resting on the back of her neck, and seeing that she was fine, his attention quickly shifted. He made slow movements, regaining feeling in his legs, to where Nicki was still crouched on the floor. Wanda hadn't even noticed the blonde, due to her utter silence.

"Wanda. We are fine, get Silias to a holding room." Pietro instructed his younger twin. With slight hesitation, Wanda left. A glow coming from the hallway, as she used her power to lift the man that laid in the hallway. Pietro spoke in a soft whisper, to the girl whose hands still held her head. "Nicki?" Her breathing came in short huffs. " I need you to talk to me. What's happening." Slipping his hand under her chin, he slowly lifted her face up.

"I'm fine. I just need a moment." Nicki's voice was flat, as if she wasn't feeling anything at all. Pietro grabbed her hands, and moved them away from her head, placing his own on her face. Turning her face to the light, he ran his thumb over a large red mark that covered her cheek. It was already beginning to swell, and discolor itself from her fair skin tone. A small cut had placed itself underneath her eye, which was beginning to turn various shades of purple and blue.

"This needs ice." The Maximoff lifted the light girl off the ground, and walked her over to the counter. His legs in fully working condition again. Setting Nicki on the counter, he walked around the kitchen gathering a bag and filling it with ice. Wrapping it in a rag, he seated himself next to Nicki on the counter, and held the bag on ice to her cheek. " How is your head?"

"It's not my head you should be worried about." Nicki shook her head softly. "Silias in in one of our blocks, and we don't know why. I mean, what drew him to come here in the first place-"

"And why he waited until almost everyone had gone. Why not face us head on?" Pietro filled once Nicki had trailed off.

"He tried to leave. He was in a rush. He must of known Wanda was coming..." The Barton froze. "I need to talk to him." Nicki's eyes met Pietro's blue ones.

"No." was the instant answer.

"He must be working with someone, I have to figure out who."

"Then work it out. Talk to me about who else was on the island." Pietro moved the bag of ice, as he lightly rubbed his finger over her swollen cheek. Nicki looked at her lap, as she began to run things through her head.

"It was some servants, a few workers, and his family. Not many people." Nicki racked her brain for anyone else.

"Who was in the family?" Pietro prompted.

"Silias, his father, and his kid sister." Pietro motioned for her to elaborate. "His dad is dead and his servants aren't capable of doing anything off the island."

"What about his sister?"

"She couldn't have. Dally would only be," Nicki counted off on her fingers, "... ten, eleven? She's too young to be pulled into this."

* * *

 _Nicki was walking through the woods, her movements slow and deliberate to avoid snapping twigs and leaves under her boots. Ducking underneath a branch, the blonde picked up a thin twig up, and twisted into her dirty hair. Using the twig to lift the tangled mess off of her neck was an instant relief. Rubbing her hand over the back of her neck, she did nothing but smear the dirt that already caked her skin. Coming to a small stream, the young Barton dropped to her knees, slipping off the over sized jacket that she had stolen from the mansion. In fact, all her clothes were stolen. Her pants, were hanging to her hips by a rope thread through the loops, the ends rolled and tucked into her boots. Her tanktop was the only thing that was hers, The back still torn from where her brother had grabbed it weeks ago. Her knees sinking into the mud, Nicki dipped her hands into the small creek and splashed the water on her face. Attempting to scrub away the dirt and grime, she did nothing but smear what was already there. Her head perked up at the slightest sound of a twig snap. Whipping around, her hair slipped out of the poorly made hair clip, back into the dirty, greasy mess that it had become. As quickly as she stood, she pulled the bow that she had stolen from Silias, and noched an arrow. Pointing it in the direction of the sound, she slowly began to creep forward. When she came to a large section of brush, she froze. In the blink of an eye, something lept out of the bush in Nicki's direction, causing her to released the string. Without blinking, Nicki looked at the thing that now had an arrow embedded in its side. It was a rabbit._

 _"How did you learn to shoot that quickly?" Nicki spun around and glared at the speaker through the sight of the bow._

 _"Who are you?" Nicki's voice was edged in steel. The girl on the other side of the arrow was young. Her dark hair was pulled into two braid, which trailed down her back. The girl froze at the sight of the arrow being pointed at her. Her eyes began to water, as she sucked in a sharp breath._

 _"Dally Marcot!" The girl cried, tear beginning to flow. Nicki suddenly felt bad. This girl couldn't have seen more than 7 years old, yet she was being held by the end of a arrow. As the tears rolled down her face, Nicki loosened the string of the bow, until the arrow was placed back in her pack. Pulling her jacket back on, she slipped the pack around her shoulders and placed the bow in it. She knelt down and faced Dally._

 _"Hey, please stop crying. I didn't mean to scare you." Nicki grabbed the girl's shoulders. "I'm sorry Dally. Won't you stop crying? Your being awfully loud." Nicki quieted the girl down._

 _"Your not going to shoot me?"_

 _"No, no, no. I wouldn't do that."_

 _"But my brother said your dangerous, and that I should go tell someone if I saw you." The blonde's face dropped. She quickly regained her poker face as she continued the conversation with the young girl._

 _"Why would your brother tell you that?"_

 _"He said you killed guards."_

 _"But they weren't cute like you. And you hair is so pretty!" Nicki smiled, attempting to change the subject from herself. The girl instantly perked up._

 _"Thanks! I did it myself!" Nicki let out a breath._

 _"You did!? That is so cool! You must be very talented. And did you paint your nails too? I love them!" The girl wiped her tears, and held up her neon pink nails. "I could do your if you want!" The young girl enthused._

 _"Oh I don't know, your brother doesn't like me much."_

 _"It could be our secret!" Nicki was shocked that this girl would so quickly change her idea about who she was. "I could come out and paint your nails! I wouldn't have to tell anyone."_

 _"But wouldn't your brother get angry?"_

 _"He doesn't have to know!" Nicki stomach rumbled. "And I can bring food! We can have a picnic!" Nicki didn't see much of a way out of this. If she didn't agree, Dally would go home and tell her brother._

 _"Okay, but it had to be our secret?"_

 _"Yes! It will be so nice to have a girl around!" Dally tossed her arms around Nicki's neck._

 _"Okay, so how about we meet back here in two days, I'll even bring cookies!" With that, the young girl took off, and disappeared back into the woods. Nicki was speechless. Grabbing the arrow that was still located in the rabbit, Nicki walked further down the stream, to clean the animal, allowing for her to be able to eat it later. Kids were too trusting._

* * *

Nicki was torn out of her memory, by the sudden increase of noise in the room. Clint threw his equipment of the table, and ran right to Nicki's side. He picked his arms up to enclose Nicki in them, but he stopped himself.

"Are you okay?" Clint fussed.

"I'm fine."

"What happened to your face?"

"Well I assume you already know that Silias is here." Nicki mused, as she jumped off the counter.

"Yeah, Natasha met Wanda in there to question him. Are you two both sure your okay?" Nicki groaned, and Pietro answered.

"Where is the Captain?"

"He saw something, and took off. Said something about a ghost. Sam called and said that he was gonna need a few days off. I assured him that we could handle this, so now we have to handle this."

O **nce again, I am sorry this took so long, and im also sorry its so short. School is killer this year. Please let me know what you think!**


	13. Chapter 13

"I want to talk to him."

"No."

"Nat!"

"No." Nicki growled as Natasha echoed Clint's earlier answer. The blonde walked up to the One way window that separated, the trio from Silias.

"How do you know that he doesn't want to be here, if you don't let me talk to him?" Nicki tried to reason. The events of the past two days running over in her head. She was still trying to find a connection between Silias' sister, the girl on the highway, and the small pinhole on her neck.

"What do you mean?" Clint turned away from the computer screens that relayed the scuffle from earlier.

"The reports of New York battle. Loki found his way on the ship because he wanted to be there. Then he gave you hell, how do you know this isn't apart of some master plan? We don't know what he wants!"

"We don't. Although Wanda said he was running like a bat out of hell. So I'm pretty sure that he wont be a hell-raiser for one night. You can talk to him tomorrow." Natasha didn't tear her stare away from Silias, who sat straight up with his hands cuffed to the table. He didn't look too concerned at his position, although Nicki watched as his hands absent mindlessly picked at his fingernails. Nicki sighed, running through the argument that would pursue if she tried to fight the Russian's decision. Turning on her heels, Nicki walked out of the room.

"By the way, he's picking at his nails because he needs a cigarette. Not because he's nervous." Nicki scoffed, exiting the small room, and began her way back to the living room. Not only was she still hungry, but the kitchen was a mess. Her scuffle with Silias had turned the room upside down. Bending over she up righted a chair, and picked pillows up, placing them in their respective places. Nicki picked up a glass that had spilt onto the rug. Setting the glass on the counter, the blonde gathered cleaner and a rag and began to dab at the red stain on the mug. Spraying the cleaner on the stain, Nicki leaned onto the carpet, as the stain barley moved. Tensing her jaw, the Barton began to scrub the carpet. When the red did nothing but stay on the carpet, Nicki began to scrub harder.

"Are you trying to scrub through the floor?" Nicki hung her head at the sound of the cocky accent. Right now the last thing she needed was for Pietro to see her freak out.

"Yeah, I thought it would be a good way to get to China, ya know?" Nicki continued to scrub at the stain.

"I think a shovel would be more useful, or maybe a plane ticket?" Pietro laughed.

"Yeah." Nicki's voice cracked, and she stopped scrubbing. Pietro was suddenly by her side.

"Whats wrong?" His hand found it's way to her back, as she took a sharp intake of breath.

"The stain. It won't come out." Nicki sniffled, and straightened up, placing her hand on her knees. "It's just so stupid, why won't it come out?" Pietro grabbed her hand, and helped her up.

"Nicki." Pietro whispered, as the girl placed her hands on her hips. She bit her lip, as her brain continued to spin. Her head was pounding, she wanted to scream. A few minutes ago she was fine. But this hit her like a train. She had her life together, she managed her terrors by going out and making the night a blur. But once she had called her brother, she was thrown into this mess. Silias was back, and she didn't know what to do. Everyone was acting like it was just another criminal, but Nicki had lived through what he could do. "Just calm down. It's not worth getting worked up over." This made Nicki loose it.

"Calm down? You want me to calm down? Silias is here, and we don't know what he wants! Nobody will let me talk to him, and he could be planning anything! We don't know who he's working with or for, and it could be devastating. Everyone is walking around with their thumb up their ass, and no doing a damn thing about it!" She used her hands and arms to make grand gestures. Pietro's eyebrows bunched together. "And, this stain won't come out of the carpet." Nicki threw her hands up and rubbed her face. Pietro took a step forward, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, burying her head in his chest.

"We are doing things. We just can't go them all at once." Pietro planted a kiss on the top of Nicki's head, his nose burying in her hair. He thought nothing of it, after all, it is something that he would for Wanda if she was feeling bad, but maybe, it did mean something else to him. It took a moment, but Nicki raised her arms and wrapped them around Pietro's waist.

"Everyone is underestimating him." The blonde mumbled.

"I think your underestimating yourself. You survived through the island, you should be able to get through this right?" Nicki sighed, and slowly moved away from the speedster. Pietro looked at the girl in front of him, and saw that her face was wet, even though he didn't know she was crying.

"Come on, you need to get some sleep. It's been a long day." Pietro placed his hand on her shoulder, and began to lead her away from the stain that had caused her breakdown.

"Yeah, I doubt I will get any sleep tonight. Not with him here." Nicki wiped the wetness from her face. "I'l probably do some research or something." Pietro stopped short.

"No, you must sleep." Pietro turned to face her. "You will be useless when you go to talk to Silias tomorrow." Nicki gave a false smile.

"Yeah, well its a little hard when I know my biggest fear is about four rooms away." The blonde gave a fake laugh to go with her smile.

"Then I will watch you sleep." The silver-haired man gave a goofy smile.

"Stop!" Quickly changing into a real smile, Nicki lightly smacked Pietro's chest, and turned away. "That is so creepy." she giggled as she continued down the hall. She felt a breeze pass her, and a trail of blue lightly glowed in the air. When she looked further down the hall, she saw the door to her room was open. Rolling her eyes, Nicki walked to the open door. She saw Pietro lying on her bed with his hands tucked behind his head. "You were serious?" Nicki chuckled.

"If it will help you sleep better then yes." Nicki walked past the bed, and grabbed a fresh pair of clothes out of her dresser on the way to the bathroom.

"Your crazy." Nicki shut the door behind her and washed her face. She rubbed at her skin until the tear residue was washed away. She grabbed a hair tie off the counter, and pulled her hair up on the top of her head in a large loopy fashion. Cleaning the remaining makeup from under her eyes, Nicki slipped out of her clothes, and pulled on her fresh shorts and tee shirt. The blonde left the bathroom and plopped herself on the opposite side of Pietro, who was flipping though a book she had left on her nightstand.

"What is this?" Pietro asked, turning the pages rapidly.

"A book, you had those in Sokovia right?" Nicki joked, and Pietro dropped it on his lap and glared at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"Yes, but what is it about?"

"A girl who has to make a choice. About whether to leave or stay." Nicki curled up against the pillows on her headboard.

"And what does she choose?" The miracle reclined on the bed, and set the book back on the nightstand.

"Now that would spoil it. Read it if you want to know the answer to that." Nicki rolled over and pulled the cover up to her shoulders. "Now, if you want to sleep in here, hush."

"But the light is still on?" Pietro sounded confused.

"Yeah, can you get that?"

* * *

It was around three in the morning when Nicki woke up. She had been in and out of sleep all night, unlike Pietro, who had been dead sleep the whole time. Slowly sliding the covers back, Nicki slipped her feet over the edge of the bed. Nicki stood up and walked around the bed, catching a glimpse of Pietro in the pale lighting of the room. His hair was a mess, curling in every direction, the sliver appearing almost white in the dark. Pietro's face held no expression as he slept, he appeared younger, not bogged down with worry or whatever weight Nicki didn't even know he was carrying. And even though Nicki knew he has sacrificed sleeping in his own bed to make her feel better, she still grabbed her sweater and slipped out of her bedroom. Shrugging the sweater over her crop top, Nicki held it close as her bare feet softly padded across the cold tile, and through the kitchen. Stopping briefly, the sleep deprived Barton picked up a grey mug that sat on the counter, inscribed with a purple 'H', and filled it with coffee. Tossing some sugar in it, she stirred the contents as she made her way down to the secure rooms. Entering the second door on the left, she set her mug down on the small ledge that the one way mirror provided. She stared at the figure on the other side of the glass.

Silias' head was laid on the table, his cuffed hands underneath of him. His face was rested in a scowl, unlike Pietro's whose was soft. His dark brown hair was disheveled, not matching his typical 'perfect' appearance. Taking a sip of her coffee, Nicki turned her back and looked at the contents that were spread out among the table. The stuff he had on his person. Holding the coffee mug close to her face, Nicki used her left hand to shift through the contents. A jacket, pockets emptied. A watch, second had ticking. A thin disposable phone. A small ear communicator. A handful of loose change and a few crumpled bills. A box of cigarettes, and a lighter. The final thing being a small notebook. Using her nail, Nicki flipped open the book, and scanned the scribbles. Flipping the pages, she came across a picture of five people. It was Silias and two girls. One had short brown hair and the other had long dark hair. She grabbed the picture and the pack of cigarettes, and tucked them into her sweater pocket. Sliding through the door and into the room where Silias slept, she set her mug down gently, pulling out the opposite chair from the boy. She sat down and folded her legs underneath of herself, making herself comfortable. Taking a sip of coffee and admiring the last moment of peace. The blonde took a deep breath and set the grey mug down with a crash. The sudden noise woke Silias, who jerked upright in his seat.

"Has the princess gotten enough sleep?" Nicki looked over the brim of her coffee mug, at the boy, who has quickly straightened himself in the chair.

"More than you have, it seems." Silias turned his head slightly, looking at the bags that began to form underneath of her blue eyes.

"I've never slept much. Your would know this."

"Indeed, you spent much time running around and killing my men. That is, if I remember correctly." Silias smirked, as if he was trying to turn the conversation back on Nicki. The blonde just calmly reached into her sweater and pulled out the packet of cigarettes. Sliding one out of the pack, she lit it with the cigarette and held it out to the brunette. He slowly leaned forward and caught it in his mouth. He took a moment and readjusted the cigarette in his mouth before taking a long drag. He looked at her sideways, "What do you want?"

"I want you to tell me about the two girls under your thumb. I mean, one I'm pretty sure is your sister, but the other?" Nicki took the picture out from her sweater and placed it on the table. "She was the one who made me wreck my car, Tony's car. Yet I have no idea who she is. So I want you to tell me."

"What makes you think that I'll talk?" Silias blew smoke out of the corner of his mouth, directly into Nicki's girl waved her slim fingers and helped the smoke disperse into the air.

"You don't have to. But that is, if I remember correctly, you love to talk." The Barton mocked the kid, who spit the end of his cigarette on the table.

"Seems like we both have amazing memory. You were right. One is my sister and the other is my fiancee." Nicki just about chocked on her coffee.

"If you have a fiancee, then what are you doing here? Why invade my life?" Nicki placed her hands flat on the table, and leaned back in the chair.

"Cause you are mine. And I want what is mine." Silias smiled, his teeth showing as if he was looking for his next meal.

"And what would your fiancee say about that?"

"Olivia? She agrees with me."

"Okay. So I think that we covered you have a fiancee who is just as crazy as you are. But where does your sister fall into the equation?" When Nicki had left the island, Dally had been a young girl, who was full of light. What could have Silias done to have her work alongside of him.

"She's my family. Why wouldn't she?" Silias looked confused.

"Why would she? Your psychotic."

"Unlike you and your brother. Family means a little bit more to us than blood. It means unrequited trust and loyalty."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Nicki questioned.

"Your little family consist of nothing but lies and hate. Your brother left you on a island to die, and you lie to him about what really happened on the island. You two do nothing but bicker,and it eats you alive that I can get along with my sister but you and your brother do nothing but fight." Silias began to rant.

"Your wrong." Nicki cut him off.

"No I'm not?" Silias became perplexed. "All you two do is fight, I've watched you for weeks."

"Not about that, family isn't unrequited loyalty and trust. Family is something earned." Nicki stood up and grabbed her empty coffee mug. "You wouldn't get it, would you?" Slipping the items back into her pocket, Nicki pushed the chair in and waked to the door.

"But I haven't even told you what I want." Nicki froze with her hand on the door knob. "I mean, you already know that I want you. Yet I also know what you have, and I want that too." Silias spoke softly. Nicki opened the door, and walked out. Nicki thought the morning was going to be over after that, she would go back to her room and slip into bed before Pietro had ever known she had left. She would get a few more hours of sleep before coming up with a plan to finish Silias, but the odds were not in her favor. After taking no more than five steps, Nicki ran into someone, causing the mug in her hand to fall to the floor and shatter.

"What were you doing?" Nicki looked up to find that the same eyes were staring back at her, Clint's.

"I was out for a walk." The blonde tried to spin a web that would make sense, but before the words had finished coming out of her mouth, she knew Clint didn't believe her.

"Why didn't you listen to me?" Clint turned around to follow Nicki, who had slipped past him and continued down the hallway.

"I had to find out what he wanted, nobody was doing anything." Nicki tried to stay calm, but anger filled her chest. Why didn't her brother see that she knew what she was doing? Why did he insist on treating her as a child?

"WE were doing something! I thought I could trust you to trust us!" That caused Nicki to stop. She turned around and faced Clint.

"Trust you? Clint, you have tried so hard to regain my trust, but it doesn't happen overnight! And when Silias came back in here, I actually thought that you would step up and help. You haven't found anything out yet!"

"And you have?"

"Yes! I found out who's working with hi-"

"Its is sister and his Fiancee." Clint cut his younger sister off. Nicki bunched her eyebrows together and took a step back. "We found out yesterday when we first got back."

"You didn't tell me." Nicki's heart sunk. She really wanted to forgive and get along with her brother, but he was making it so hard. The two of them just clashed. They were two different.

"No. I knew you would become irrational." The youngest turned on her heel and stormed back to her room. "Because running away from your problems proves me wrong."

"I would tell you to go to hell, but -"

"You've been there? Let it go, it has been years! All I hear about is that damn island." Clint followed Nicki down the hall, but she stopped in front of her door.

"Are you serious?" Nicki rolled her eyes and threw the door open, causing her to jolt awake the second sleeping man of the morning. Pietro slid out of bed and stood, ready to fight.

"What is he doing in here?" Clint demanded, turning on Pietro.

"He cared enough to make sure I was okay, unlike you!" Nicki yelled, facing Clint.

"I do care! I don't know why you can't see that! Everything I do is because your my sister Nicki!"

"Then why didn't you tell me what you knew about Silias? Isn't that what we do? Find stuff out and save people?" Nicki hollered.

"Thats what WE do. Not you. You may be named an Avenger, but do not think that you are one." Clint screamed, taking a step in Nicki's direction. "You are just a girl who has the worst luck I know." Nicki turned her back, and began to shove clothes into a duffle bag. Pietro stood frozen, unsure of what to do. Nicki zipped up the bag and shoved her way past her brother. "What are you going to do? One boat accident and your scared of water, I assumed the car crash would make you terrified of motor vehicles!"

"I'll fucking walk."

* * *

Hey guys! Once again sorry for the long wait, but I finally got this up due to being sick all day. So I hope you enjoy! Please let me know how you think this is going and what you would like to see!


	14. Chapter 14

When Nicki woke up, she was slightly disoriented. But, anyone would be if they woke up in a strangers bed. With the stranger next to them. Laying back on the soft bed, the blonde pushed her hair off of her face, and picked some dust out of her eyes with her pale blue fingernails. Flipping her head to the side, her eyes wandered to the person next to her, he had short sandy hair, and a nose that was slightly too long for his face. Figuring that he wasn't going to be important later in her life, Nicki stood and picked her belongings off the ground. Dressing and grabbing some fresh clothes from the duffle bag that had been tossed in the corner of the room, Nicki ran her fingers through her hair. Pulling on her boots, the blonde stood and glanced at her reflection in a metallic vase that sat on the nightstand. A soft buzz began to fill the room. Her hands quickly smacked the back of her jeans, feeling for her phone in her pocket. She whipped her head around, and began to look for her phone. The figure in the bed moved. Spotting the glowing device at the foot of the bed, Nicki dove and grabbed it. The man that laid in the bed settled, and buried himself back in the pillows. The phone had stopped ringing. Shoving it into the back pocket of her jeans, the Barton grabbed her bag and walked out of the bedroom. Passing the kitchen, and going through the small apartment Nicki's eyes wandered to all the paintings that littered the space. So he was an artist. Quietly opening the door, she walked out and headed down the stairs, not bothering with the elevator. While walking, Nicki pulled out her phone and checked her screen. Four calls from Natasha, a few messages, and two calls from Friday. Her foot hit the bottom step and she walked out the door onto the busy street of New York. Glancing around, she noticed a small shop across the street. Darting across the road and between cars, the blonde ran her fingers through her hair and entered the bright yellow double doors. Walking up to the wooden counters, the preppy redhead greeted her.

"Hi, welcome to the Sun, what can I get for you today?" Nicki glanced up at the menu, and peered at the name tag that adorned the black apron.

"I'm doing good Michelle, what do you recommend?"

"I like the Mocha Frappe, but you look like you could use something stronger." Michelle laughed and offered to make Nicholette a black coffee and grab her a muffin. The blonde agreed and accepted the order. Reaching into her bag, Nicki pulled out her wallet and payed for the order.

"Are you an Avenger?" Michelle's head whipped up from her screen. Nicki looked confused.

"What-"

"Your card. It's an Avenger's card." Nicki mentally cursed herself at handing the cashier her credit card the Tony Stark paid for.

"Uhm. Not really. I think I may have quit."

"Why would you ever quit?" Michelle smile seemed to fall.

"Family matters." Nicki ended at that, and grabbed her card back from the barista. Picking up her breakfast, Nicki exited the cheerful shop. She began to walk down the street before placing her cell phone between her ear and shoulder, allowing Natasha's number to ring. She was in the middle of chewing a piece of her muffin as the call went to voicemail, leaving her to talk with her mouth full;. " N't. Retu'nin' your 'all." Nicki swallowed the muffin piece and washed it down with a sip of her scorching coffee. "Call me back when you feel like it." Nicki hung up the phone, and put it back in her pocket, only to have it ring seconds later. Putting it back between her shoulder and ear, she answered. Before she could get a word out, the other side was already talking.

"Nicki, where are you? Are you safe?" The blonde bruched her eyebrows and took another bite of the muffin.

"Pietro? I'm fine. I mean, I know I ran out last night, but jeez. It's only been one night." Nicki laughed off his worry, and tossed the wrapper of her muffin in a trash can.

"Silias is out." The blonde stopped dead in her tracks. Her hair, swung over her shoulder at the sudden stop, and with the swinging motion that her head made. She looked all around the street, catching every face in the monstrous crowd.

"What do you mean? I though you guys could hold him. Your the Avengers."

"Yes, but we were down a member last night. A group came in and knew exactly where to go. We need you back." Nicki looked at her coffee and tossed it in the trash. She was not longer in the mood for coffee.

"Look. Clint made it clear last night. I'm not an Avenger." Nicki hung the phone up and put it on silent. She crossed her arms over her chest, and continued to walk down the strip. She walked for a few moments before seeing a blue streak in the distance, headed towards her fast. Turning on her heels, Nicki turned around and picked a hat off a stand, pulling it on her hair. A gust of wind passed her, pushing her hair up, as someone grabbed her shoulders and spun her around.

"They have Wanda." Pietro seemed panicked. "And Nat, Stark-"

"Clint?" Pietro nodded. "What happened?"

"A group of men came in and instantly took out everyone but me and Clint.

"How, you guys are the Avengers. You should be stronger than a bunch of delinquents!"

"Something was in the pipes, a gas. I went to go get Wanda, but she was already gone. When I went back for Clint, he was gone too. I do not know where. I need to find Wanda."

"I don't know how to handle this. And Clint clearly said that he didn't need my help."

"I don't care about the ridiculous feud between you and your brother right now. I need my sister. I need you."

"Pietro."

"Please. Even if you do not help me, just tell me what Silias is after." Nicki gritted her teeth, and processed what the speedster just told her.

"Listen. Wanda can handle herself. I know Clint and the others can too." Nicki formed her words slowly, trying to formulate a plan in her mind. "We just have to-"

"We don't have time. I need to go get my sister."

"And we will. I know it's tough Pietro, but you have to follow my lead on this. If we go in to fast, it will be much worse than you can imagine." Pietro ran his hand through his silver hair. He took a few deep breaths.

"What do we do?"

"Well first we have to take a visit to an old friend."

"I didn't know you had friends?" Pietro questioned, out of genuine curiosity, not attempting to make it sound like a shot.

"Not that old. Not even a friend really. Can you get us to New Orleans?" Nicki questioned, wrapping the strap of her bag across her chest.

"Shouldn't be too hard." The speedster scooped Nicki up in his arms, and began to run down the street. It was only a few moments later that Nicki's feet were placed on the streets of New Orleans. Digging through her bag for a brush, she quickly ran it through her hair and worked her way through the knots. When Barton turned around, she noticed Pietro was a little pale.

"Are you okay?" Stepping closer to the boy, she put her hand on his shoulder, and lead him through the crowded streets.

"Just a little winded." his reply was short.

"I can go get what I need by myself. You can find a hotel and rest. We can't leave until the morning anyway."

"No. I will not leave you to wander alone."

"Either way, we have to get a hotel first. If we wait till later, we won't find one. Plus we can't really go out looking like we're from New York. They'll eat us alive." Leading the way through the crowd, Nicki pointed at a small motel. "Go get us a room, and I'l go grab us some clothes from a shop. I'll be back in twenty." Nicki handed Pietro some money, before twisting her way through the mass of people. Walking inside the dingy motel, he walked up to a teenager who was popping their gum.

"I need a room." Looking Pietro up and down, the youngster knocked a key off of the hooks behind them, and traded Pietro for the money.

"You have the second room at the top of the stairs." Pietro took his time walking up to the room. Upon opening the door the boy plopped right down on the bed, which smelled heavily of fabric freshener. He closed his eyes for a few moments, but when he opened them the room smelled delicious.

"Wakey Wakey. I have food." Opening his eyes, he found Nicki kneeling on the bed next to him, holding bags. Setting it on the bed, Nicki pulled a small container out and leaned back. "I figured you must be hungry, so I got you a lot. Hope you like Jambalaya." Grabbing a plastic fork Pietro dug into the food. "So. How fast can you run?"

"I do not know, it had never been tested. All Strucker wanted me to do was run faster than everyone. No specific speed." Nicki nodded in satisfaction, as she forked another piece of shrimp into her mouth. Setting the container aside, Nicki crawled out of the bed, and grabbed a paper bag.

"So, I need you to change into these clothes. Meanwhile I'm going to start my makeup." Grabbing her bag. Nicki walked over to the mirror that was placed on the desk, and began to pile on the eye makeup. Standing up, Pietro began to dig in the bag. He quicly stripped and pulled on the black skinny slacks, and white shirt. Glancing in the other bag, he saw gems and feathers.

"Are you sure your stuff had enough sparkle to it?"

"Guys can get away with wearing simple stuff at this particular party, but girls have to be dressed to the 9's for some reason." Pietro turned around at the sound of Nicki cursing.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I just stabbed myself in the eye with my eyeliner." Nicki turned around and waved her hand over her eye, trying to keep it from watering. Turning back to the mirror, Pietro watched as Nicki continued, setting on a pair of faux lashes. Giving the glue time to dry, Nicki pulled half of her hair up and pulled it taunt. The small pony tail gave her hair extra volume and waves. Standing, Pietro was captivated by the glitter that was lined under her eyes, leading the blue irises to shine.

"So where is this party at?" The speedster leaned back on the bed, and picked up another container of food. Nicki dug through the bag and pulled out articals of clothing.

"I couldn't tell you. I just know how to get there. Which one do you like better?" The two options were a pair of sequenced shorts, and a black bralette, or a sequenced dress, with beads that hung from the bottom. He took a moment before answering.

"I don't know what we're walking into, but pants always seem like a smart option." Nicki agreed and pulled on the shorts, buttoning them at her waist, and clicked the bra on in the front. She grabbed a pair of black heels and strapped them onto her feet. Next was a statement necklace, and a pair of long earrings. Nicki pulled a silver vest out of the bag and tossed at at the lounging boy.

"You missed this." Nicki motioned for him to stand. Pietro stood and pulled on the vest, completing his outfit, once Nicki tossed a few beads over his head. Climbing on the bed, her feet wobbled as she tried to balance her heels on the soft cushion. She ran her slim fingers through Pietro's soft hair, and pushed the strands up. She placed her hands on his shoulders using Pietro to held herself off of the bed. Glancing out of the window, Nicki saw that the sun was beginning to set. "We should probably head out. The Party should be starting right about now." With one glance in the mirror, she headed to the door, leaving Pietro to follow. Walking past the teenager in the lobby, they headed out onto the streets, where the misic was growing louder with each passing moment. Pietro glanced over the heads and feathers, attempting to follow Nicki through the growing crowd. She glanced back to see him working his way through the crowd. Stopping for a moment, Nicki reached backward and grabbed his hand. His fingers laced into hers as she lead the speedster to a large house that was down the street. The music was almost deafening, and the lights shone through the windows. As Nicki walked up to the door, there was a man who stood in the middle of the arch.

"Names?"

"No, we arn't on the list." Nicki spoke with confidence.

"Then you can't come in." Pietro readied himself to skirt the two of the past the guard, but stopped when he heard Nicki laugh.

"Yes we can, you see, I came here about four years ago, and- you know what. Just give Marcilis my name. Nicholette Barton." The man took a step away and put his hand to his ear, and mumbled under his breath. He nodded and waved the two through the door. Where Pietro was met with booming music and a crowd of people, all of who were dressed in glitter and bright colors.

"What are we doing here?" Pietro hollered over the music and the laughter of people.

"I need to get something from a guy."

"Thats clear." Pietro mumbled. Nicki shot him a look, and wormed her way through the crowd.

"We have to blend in until Marcilis comes down. And that means shots." The blonde picked a shot off of a passing bartender and tossed it back.

"Now last time I saw you drink, you passed out on my floor." Nicki turned, her hair spinning around, and came face to face with a tall man, dressed in a suit.

"Marcilis! How are you?"

"I'll be better when I know what your here for." He moved his glare from Nicki to Pietro, who came to stand behind the blonde.

"What no hug?"

"Last time I welcomed you in here, I had to go out of business for a week."

"I need the key Marcilis."


	15. Chapter 15

Pietro and Nicholette walked out of that house drunk as all hell. Or at least Nicki did. The blonde clung to Pietro's clothes as she stumbled over her heels, an item grasped in her left hand.

"I can't believe you got drunk." Pietro mumbled, as he once again held Nicki up as she stumbled. He dropped his shoulder and scooped the girl up in his arms.

"'s not like 't mat'rs." Nicki muttered, pushing her hair out of her face. Taking off, Pietro slipped between the people and burst into their motel room. He practically dropped the girl on the bed.

"I doesn't matter? They have my sister, and your family, but let's get drunk, no? Pietro began to get angry, as he stripped off the vest.

" We had to get this." Nicki spoke slowly, trying to sound less drunk as the conversation turned serious, and kicked off her shoes. It had taken most of the night to get Marcelis to hand over the thing they were after. On the end of a thin string was a small cylinder. It was a brassy material, and one of its ends had small chips in it, creating a pattern.

"What does it even do?" The speedster tried to calm himself down as he grabbed the object from the Barton and studied it.

"I don't know. Silias wanted it though, so it must be important." But Pietro wasn't listening.

"Do you even care?" Nicki slowly looked up and met the Maximoff's eyes.

"What?"

"Ever since I told you that Silias took everyone, you practically have not said anything. Do you not care for your brother? Or Natasha?" Nicki sat upright.

"Of course I do, I-"

"Then act like it! I have tried to see your side of things, but you do nothing for your brother, how can you ever expect him to do anything for you!" Nicki opened her mouth, but Pietro continued. "No, you do anything but try to make your relationship better. You continue to be spiteful and would rather party and get drunk than do something useful. Like perhaps getting over that irrational fear of water?" Nicki abruptly stood, and waked about four feet before having to steady herself on a wall. Pietro stood once he saw her stumble, immediately regretting the words he had just spoken. He walked over and reached out to help her. She quickly smacked his hand away, and turned.

"You don't understand do you? The memory of that place is something that I think about every day. These past few weeks have been increasingly worse. So what both of you need to understand is this me being here, and me even thinking about going back to that island, is me caring. I would rather cut out my own tongue than have to go back there. But guess where I'm headed tomorrow?" Nicki stormed into the bathroom, and slammed the door. Throwing her back against the door, she locked it as she began to panic. She didn't want to go back. She didn't want to see Silias again. She didn't want to. She couldn't. She would get on the island, she would panic. Clint wouldn't know. He didn't think she cared. Running her fingers through her hair, her mind ran through everything Pietro said. Everything was wrong. Except for one thing. She was afraid of water, and it was irrational. Reaching over to the tub, she turned the knob, and began to strip. Ditching her shorts and shirt, she glanced over her shoulder in the mirror. She hated her scars. They were just another reminder of the place she hated most. She was headed back to the island tomorrow, and couldn't let this control her if she wanted to win this fight. Sitting on the edge of the tub, she placed her feet in the cold water. She heard Pietro on the other side of the door, he was knocking on the wood, and calling her name. Asking her to come out. She took a long breath, before sliding into the tub, and slipping underneath the water. Her heart was beating at her chest, and her nerves went wild. The cold water slipped over her skin as Pietro kept calling her name through the door.

* * *

 _"Nicholette!" Silias screamed through the door, smashing his fist on the door, causing the wood to bend. The blonde scrambled through the contents of the drawer on her left. She had to find something. Her hands clutched the small piece of metal. The wood splintered as Silias continued to smash on the door, screaming her name. Nicki only had time to glance in the mirror at her disheveled and bruised reflection for she had to make her choice. He couldn't have the key. The door bend under the pressure that Silias was putting on it. She placed the small object in her mouth, the cold metal on her tongue, and placed her hand on her throat before taking the risk and swallowing it. She took a few deep breaths the compose herself before taking a few steps back as the door split in half. Nicki flinched as splinters of the door flew past her. "Where is it Nicki?" Silias reeked of smoke, as he walked up to Nicki and spoke right in her face. Taking a breath to steady her voice, she answered,_

 _"I don't know what your talking about."_

 _" You know damn well what I am talking about!" He screamed, and ran the back of his hand over Nicki's face, knocking her to the floor. She fell over the edge of the tub, as Silias wrapped his hand in her hair and yanked her back to her feet. "Now. Where is it?" He brought Nicki's face close to his, and spoke softly. Nicki grinned, blood beginning to flow out of a split on her lip, and spoke just as soft._

 _"I don't know." The boys face contorted in a rage that Nicholette had not yet seen in the two weeks that she had been confined in the turned, hand still twisted in her hair, and pulled her out of the small room sharply. Nicki's feet were unable to stay underneath of her as her knees collided with the ground. Nicki brought her hands up and dug her hails into his hands, but that did nothing to stop the boy._

 _"Silias!" The boy stopped dead, and Nicki was able to regain her footing. She lifted her foot and collapsed Silias by hitting the back of his knees. Pulling her hair out of his grasp, she pumped her legs and sprinted down the staircase that was in front of her. She saw a group of three or four men running at her in full gear that she had seen many wearing around the island, or at least the inside of the mansion. Her body ached as she ducked and dropped, spinning over the guards to have her chance at escaping. Her small stature was to her advantage, leaving her able to lump over the guard, pushing him down on top of the others, causing a dog-pile. Nicki's bare feet slapped loudly against the marble floor, as she darted to the large doors. A loud bang echoed out in the spacious foyer, and Nicki cried out. Pain erupted in her leg as she tripped on the floor. Her hand went directly to her leg as she took deep breaths to control her breathing as she looked down at her leg. The white pant leg of the set of clothing that Silias gave to her were blossoming with red. Her calf was burning in pain, trying to stand again, she was on her feet for only a few moments before she was once again pulled off of them by a man dressed immaculately as the rich and famous. She was set on her feet as his hands were placed on her shoulder. His touch was soft and gentle._

 _"Yes Father?" Silias reached the bottom of the staircase and walked across the floor, and stepped through the guards that laid on the floor._

 _"What did I tell you about your toys?" He looked down at Nicki, who clenched her jaw and tightened her muscles._

 _"But father-"_

 _"Boy. There is no 'but'. She had done something or she has not."_

 _"She has." Silias looked down and answered his father in a short answer._

 _"Then she must be punished correct?"_

 _"Yes father." Silias' father moved Nicki by her shoulders and guided her through the halls. Nicki couldn't do much but follow, her leg protesting the whole time. The eldest Marcot tossed open a black door, and pushed Nicki inside the room. The two boys followed. Looking around Nicki saw a post in the middle of the room, and an assortment of weapons lined along the wall._

 _"Son, what have I taught you about punishments?"_

 _"The right weapon is key." Silias said those words as if he has said them a thousand times._

 _"So what will you choose?" Nicki spun around, her dirty hair landing over her shoulder, and followed Silias as his hands slowly ran over the many objects that ran along side the stained walls. The Barton shuttered as he finally made his choice. A whip._

* * *

"Nicki!" She felt hands on her shoulder as she was pulled out of the water. She gasped for air, as her face broke the surface. Her hands went to whoever was grabbing her, and her nails dug into the wrist of the hands on her shoulder. Her name was called once again, as she opened her eyes and shook water, darkened with makeup, off of her eyelashes.

"Pietro?" She was shivering as she began to climb out of the tub. Pietro grabbed a towel off of a rack above the sink, he unfolded it and wrapped it around Nicki.

"What do you think you were doing?" He asked, as he drew the blonde into a hug. He wrapped his arms around the girl, and ran his fingers through her dripping wet hair. Nicki shrugged her way out of the hug, and worked her way out of the small bathroom.

"I was thinking."

"What kind of thinking was that? You could have drowned yourself." Pietro followed her out of the bathroom, only to have a soaking towel thrown at him. Nicki had dressed her self in a dry pair of shorts and an oversize shirt that hung off of her shoulders.

"But I didn't." Nicki tried to keep her breathing calm, but secluding herself did nothing to calm her from before, nor did the attempt to conquer her fears. She felt even more antsy and more lost. Nicki felt uncomfortable, and wanted to go, she didn't want to sit still.

"But you could have. I mean what were you thinking?" Pietro's eyes moved to Nicki's back, where her scars were red and agitated. He took a step closer. Pietro stopped when he noticed Nicki's hand opening and closing. Her hands kept moving, refusing to settle. Her hands went to her face.

"I just wanted to, The water thing, I need-" Nicki cutoff as it became harder to breathe. She took a sharp intake a breath as her hand went to her chest.

"Nicki?" Pietro sped forward as the young girl began to hyperventilate. "You have to calm down."

"I can't, I-" Her vision became blurred as they filled with tears. Pietro guided Nicki and helped her sit on the bed. The speedster watched as Nicki turned a shade paler, and her hands shook as they continued to open and close.

"Talk to me, yes? What is wrong?" But Nicki couldn't speak, she could only put her head in her hands and take another shaky breath. She opened her mouth and she a sob only came out. Pietro sat on the bed next to her, and pulled the shaking girl into his lap. He placed his hand on her head and drew her close. He didn't know what to do to help her. But Nicholette was a mess.

* * *

Guys I am so sorry that this took so long! I feel really bad about not updating enough, and I really am trying to get these out in a decent amount of time. I have just been so busy, and I have worked on this all day, between cleaning, and helping my friend, who is going through some stuff. I just want to let you know that I really appreciate whoever is sticking the waiting game out, and take the time to read this. It really means a lot! I hope you like where this is headed and I really hope I can keep surprising you guys!

PS. I really really hope to have the next chapter up by the end of the week, it should be exciting to write!


	16. Chapter 16

Nicholette walked on board of the jet, that they had managed to get out of one of an Avenger's compound. Her boots clanged on the metal, as she made her way the the pilots seat. She sat down and began to push buttons and flip switches. Leaning back in her seat she gabbed a black back pack off of the ground and flip though it's contents, checking to make sure she had everything they would or may need. Tossing the bag on the seat next to her, she flipped her hair over her shoulder, before tugging at the straps the crossed her chest. Slumping in the seat, Nicki messed with the straps and the zipper.

"Do you not like the suit?" Pietro came up behind her and moved the bag to the ground, sitting in the co-pilots seat.

"It's just so tight. I mean, I know it made to move and it does, but it's just hard to get used to. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Nicki pushed the blue button that was located near the controls.

"FRIDAY, please navigate to the preset coordinates." As the jet rose in the air, Pietro broke the sound of the jets. Which were pretty silent considering they were Stark Industry Tech.

"Did you want to talk about last night?"

"What about last night?" Nicki grabbed a bottle of water out of the mini fridge that was on the side of the jet, before sitting on the bench that stretched near the back.

"I mean you had a meltdown." Pietro remarked, spinning the chair to face Nicki, who pulled a jacket off of a top rack.

"It was not a meltdown, It was a panic attack." Nicki laid across the seat and pulled the jacket over her shoulders.

"So i'm going to assume the whole water bathtub thing did not work?" Pietro stood and sat next the the blonde, lifting her legs, and placing them on his lap.

"Totally, what gave you that idea? My breakdown?" Nick smirked and shut her eyes, her arms folded under her head. "What are you doing?" The Barton questioned as Pietro leaned on the wall, shifting her boot clad feet.

"You looked like you were taking a nap."

"I was. Your point is?"

"If you are taking a nap, then I probably should. You know the island best." Pietro closed his eyes and put his head on the wall. Some time had passed before she opened her eyes again, Nicki peeked at the boy. He looked tiered. The Maximoff looked older than he was, Nicki felt this was her fault. She made him wait to go get his sister, all so she could have this key. She slid her hand to the small pouch that rested on the back of her belt. Slipping her fingers inside she pulled out the thin piece of metal and held it in her hand. She glanced at Pietro again and sat up, crossing her feet underneath of herself, and nudging him awake/

"Hold onto this for me." Holding out her hand, she uncurled her fingers and showed him the piece.

"Why do you want me to hold it?"

"Well, I don't want Silias getting it, and I'm not sure how this is going to go down, but your fast. You can keep it away from him." The speedster grabbed Nicki's hand.

"Why did your bring it if you did not want Silias to have it?"

"I need it close. It could come in handy." Nicki leaned back and winced as the jet hit a patch of turbulence.

"Why do you not hold onto it?" Nicki opened her mouth but closed it as she calculated her answer.

"I trust you more."

"I will hold onto it for you." The jet began to descend as FRIDAY announced they arrived. Nicki stood, and placed the batons on her back, strapping the backpack over top of it, snapping the clasp across her chest. Pulling a hair tie off of her wrist, Nicholette pulled her long hair up into a ponytail. She walked past Pietro who stood up and stretched as the back of the jet dropped to show the beach.

"Just so you know, I once had to eat, and then throw up that key to keep it safe. Don't let me down Piet." Nicki put her hands on the straps of the book bag, and walked out of the jet. Meanwhile Pietro trailed behind her, holding his hand out, looking at the small cylinder of metal that rested in his palm.

"Wait, What?" Yet Nicki kept walking, and headed to the trees that lined the beach.

"So this is the dreaded place?" Pietro kept talking as they entered the treeline, the jet disappearing into stealth mode.

"Yep."

"Well you must give me the grand tour." Looking over her shoulder, Nicki saw that Pietro was smiling.

"Are you really joking about this?" Nicki scoffed.

"No, I want to see every tree you slept under, and every rock you stepped on."

"You could spin and point, and you would see a rock I stepped on. I've covered this island a thousand times. But if you wanna see where I sleep, Your gonna have to be a little more adventurous."

"Why do you not just tell me where to go, and I will run us there."

"Because, as the little Chinese guy from the Goonies said, 'Booby Traps'." She turned around and looked at Pietro who seemed very confused at her reference. "It was Clint's favorite movie as a kid." Nicki ducked under a tree branch and stepped over a log.

"I have never heard of it."

"Thats surprising, it was pretty popular."

"We should watch it when we get back."Continuing forward, Nicki smiled, and stopped.

"It would be a much better first date than saving the avengers." Pietro immediately looked flustered. He started to stumble over some words, as Nicki laughed and began walking again. "Settle boy, I was teasing. Now, are you ready to go get your sister?" Nicki ducked under a bush and crawled to the front of the brush, Pietro following. Unstrapping the book bag from her chest, she concealed it in the same bush that they were currently hiding under.

"What is the plan?"

"Go in the bottom, get the team, and then get out. Just follow suit and it'll work." Nicki checked the inside of her wrist. "The guard should be passing soon, if their time table hasn't changed."

"You remember their timetable? Has it not been a while?" He settled next to Nicki on the dirt and looked through the leaves.

"It been about four years, yeah." Yet, as Nicki had said, a guard passed right in front of them moments later. Looking at the inside of her wrist again, Nicki watched the seconds on her clock tick by. "Now. Second grate on the left." Nicki felt Pietro pick her up and then set her down next to the grate. Pressing the button on her baton, she pulled the shiny blade out of its holder. Wedging it in between the grate and the wall, she pulled the grate off of the wall enough in order to jam her fingers in the space and pull. Nicki put her feet on the wall, and used her legs to help her pull the metal out of place. Glancing at her watch, motioned for Pietro to move inside. Looking around, she heard boots on the ground, and she threw her legs into the small hole on the side, and slipped through. Grabbing the grate on the way down, Nicki pulled it into place as her feet hit the concrete floor.

"A grate? Cliche, no?" Pietro remarked as Nicki moved past him, making careful footsteps in the dark.

"It is an easy way in. We need to go three floors up and down the left hallway. Four doors down to the dinning room. Got that?" Nicki spoke quietly and put the blade back in the baton on her back, clicking it shut.

"Why the dining room?" Pietro questioned, checking the laces on his shoes, and straightening his shirt, before looking up. Nicki glanced at her wrist again.

"Because it's dinner time. It's always served at 6:10. So we have about thirty seconds before the main course is served."

"Then we have no time to waste." Pietro moved to pick Nicki up, before he started to move, Nicki spoke.

"When we get there you have to follow my lead. No matter what." Pietro took off running up the steps and Nicki soon found them on the outside of the closed dinning room doors. Pietro put Nicki down and she righted her clothes and tousled her hair, tightening the pony tail. "Are you ready for this?"

"I'm ready to see Wanda." Tapping the glass on her watch twice, Nicki looked up and smiled, fixing her poker face before flinging the double oak doors open. Nicki strode inside, her boots clicking on the marble floors. Heads turned as Nicki walked with small looks around, Nicki saw Silias was at the head of the table. On one side sat his sister, Dally, and on the other sat another girl who was polished up, that must have been Olivia. Natasha and Wanda next to each other one one side, Dally's side. Clint and Tony sat on the other side, opposite of their fellow Avengers. Nicki continued along the long table, touching Clint's shoulder on the way past, before pulling out the chair at the opposite side of Silias.

"So, what are we having?" Nicki leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs, her arms resting on the plush arm rests. Pietro slid to his sister's side, placing his hands on her shoulders and planting a kiss on top of her hair.

"Your interrupting a very lovely dinner party. We were having a lobster dish, but since you interrupted..." A guard came in through the doors and pointed their gun at Nicki. She seemed entirely amused.

"Really Silias? I thought we were going to have a nice conversation over dinner. But you have to bring your dogs into this. I mean really." Grabbing a glass of wine, Nicki took a sip.

"And who do you think you are to come in here and demand things?" The polished girl spoke loudly.

"You must be Olivia. Pleasure, really. But, you probably haven't heard of me-"

"Your Nicholette Bellamy, or at least that is what you called yourself when you first came here. And you are nothing more than a plaything. Personal property of my fiancee." Olivia spoke clearly, as if she had been taught to pronounce every word by the creator of language them self. Nicki just tilted her head. Her eyes wandered to her brother. Clint looked at his younger sister and saw someone he had never seen. His sister, had a mask on that seem amused, and joyous. Far different from the one who seemed so solemn back home.

"Yeah you got just a smudge wrong there." Nicki stood, causing everyone to shift. Taking a quick glance at her team mates. She notices they all seemed slightly worse for wear. They were in no condition to fight right now. In fact Clint looked as if he had taken a fall from a tower into a dumpster fulled with wood and nails. Which was something Clint was usually familiar with, but this time it looked as if the fall had been repeated about twenty times. Natasha seemed as if every movement she took felt like a thousand cuts. Tony didn't move, his hands were cut and sliced, as if they had been working through a machine grinder all day. Walking slowly around the table towards Olivia, Nicki looked at Pietro, who was watching her every move. His hands had not left Wanda's shoulders. Wanda herself was shaking, and she looked terrified. The only people at the table who looked remotely healthy was Silias and his girls. The guard moved forward, and Nicki spun around. She jammed her elbow into his throat before he was able to pull the trigger. While the guard was still jarred, the blonde lifted her foot, and kicked the guards knee, effectively bending his leg in the wrong direction. Crying out, Nicki walked behind the guard who was withering on the ground in pain.

"Nicholette, please. You are upsetting my guests." Silias spoke as if he were incredibly bored, and as if the only thing that was interesting was the thunder that was beginning outside.

"So Olivia." Nicki made direct eye contact with the girl at the table. "Do you want to know where you went wrong? I am not a plaything, I am not Silias' personal property. My name is Nicholette Barton, and I am the girl who is going to turn this whole place upside down and make you pay for what you have done. I am not someone who you should be speaking down to." With a quick glance at Clint, Nicki took a breath before placing her hands at the guards chin and the back of his head. In a swift fluid motion the guards head snapped sideways as he fell to the floor. Nicki looked at Silias. "So here is what is going to happen. You are going to let everyone go, and you will reveal your evil plan, I will stop it, and you will go to jail or where ever we decide to put you. Otherwise, I will personally kill every guard in this hellhole and then I will kill you."

"Oh don't be so dramatic! There is no possible way you could kill everyone by yourself." Silias answered. Clint looked disappointed. He seemed hurt by watching his little sister snap a man's neck. Nicki didn't have time to worry about that at the moment, as she had bigger things to worry about. Yet, that pile kept getting bigger as Pietro's head snapped up. Nicki looked at him with confusion as his face contorted in rage.

"But I can." Pietro ran around the table and grabbed Olivia holding her by the throat.

"Pietro, what are you doing?" Nicki was entirely confused. She had told him to follow her lead, but not by killing. That was something she had to do herself. She had expected him to wait for when the plan had become obvious. Even though she had not had the plan though out to completion, she had expected him to be the composed one.

"I've had enough." Silias stood, and wiped his hands off with his napkins. "If you would." He made a motion with his hands, and their teammates stood. "Killing my guards is one thing, but going after my fiancee is something that I cannot overlook. Kill them."

"Shit." Nicki quickly moved to Pietro, and grabbed his arm. Dragging him out of the double doors, Pietro resisted.

"Wanda!"

"Pietro, they aren't themselves, we have to go!" Cursing under his breath, Pietro turned and ran them out of the mansion. Nicki dropped on her feet and scooped the bag out of the shrubs, strapping it back on before continuing the run out of the mansion. Away from her brother and her friends.

* * *

Hey! Thanksgiving Break is awesome, letting me write and all. Anyway, I loved hearing from you guys last chapter, and I hope this one was entertaining. Let me know what you think, and what you would like to see while they are on the island!


	17. Chapter 17

"Keep Running!" Nicki hollered out, as her legs pumped through the woods. It seemed silly to watch Pietro run, it almost seemed abnormal to actually be able to see him run. Typically he ran so fast that no one could see him, yet here he was practically jogging next to her full on sprint.

"I should be saying that to you. You run slow." Pietro spoke evenly, while Nicki was puffing.

"Well we wouldn't be running if you hadn't done that!" Glancing over her shoulder, Nicki caught glimpses of flashlights behind then through her wet blonde hair. Lord this was ending up like a bad crime movie, running from the baddy in the dark rain, being chased through the woods by henchmen with flashlights, meanwhile their team mates were under the influence of the one and only baddy. Stupid cliches. Nicki could almost laugh.

"What do you mean?"

"Not the time!" Nicki jumped over a fallen tree branch, and made a sharp left, her foot digging into the mud. Jumping in front of Pietro, Nicki made careful footsteps through the dirt and weeds, hoping that like the timetable, nothing had changed on the island.

"Then we do not have time for this." Pietro gathered Nicki in his arms before running a little faster. The blonde squirmed in him arms before throwing him off balance, causing a stumble in his step.

"Pietro, Stop!" Pushing off of Pietro's chest, she dropped out of his arms and landed on her feet.

"I told you you had to be careful when you run!" Keeping her hands on his chest to prevent him from running off again, Nicki kept glancing around his shoulder, looking for the glimpses of flashlights.

"You also said we would get Wanda back tonight. But look where that is at."

"Because you went AWOL! You didn't let me do my thing!"

"Your thing didn't do anything, and now I have to do it myself." Pietro began to move forward again, Nicki moving backward attempting to get him still.

"Seriously, you don't know what your getting into Pietro. It's dark, and you can't see the-" Nicki dropped down quickly as her hand went down to her leg, a loud cry escaping. Pietro stooped down and saw her eyes were squeezed shut, and her face was held in a grimace. Nicki took a sharp breath, as she sat on the wet grass. As she brought her hand up to readjust her situation, Pietro saw it was pattered with blood.

"What?"

"I said you have to be careful."Nicki gritted between her teeth. Pietro looked down and saw that her right foot was caught in a metal trap. It had bit through her boot, and her foot was at an odd angle.

"You did not say we could loose a foot."

"Well I knew where I was walking. So if you don't mind helping me get my foot out that would be fantastic." Nicki snapped, her fingers slipping off of the metal, as she tried to pry it open.

"Just calm down, the more you try to pry it off, the worse the injury is." Pietro knelt down next the the trap, as his fingers messed with the chain on the side, inspecting the type of trap. Last time Nicki was on the island, she didn't get caught in the traps, she was all too careful of where she was walking.

"How would you know?" Nicki leaned back on the grass, as the rain started to fall harder.

"My father took me hunting back in Sokovia before the accident. Traps were commonly used. Which is how I know how to open them." Pietro spoke softly as his hands worked over the trap. He worked it open, and Nicki pulled her foot out.

"Okay, so the place where we are headed is about fifteen minutes forward." Nicki used a tree to help her stand, as flashlights appeared in the distant. "We have to go."

"You can not walk on that." Pietro stood and moved to Nicki's side. "Let me help you."

"You don't know where the traps are, you have to follow my footsteps." Nicki moved away, trying to pick her pace back up through her limp.

"Now that I know whats on the ground, I can avoid them. You'll leave a trail. It basic hunting."

"Fine, but we can't have both of us hurt, and I'm a Barton, so expect me to injure myself again." Nicki allowed for Pietro to pick her up and continue down the stretch. A few moments later, Nicki told him to let her down. Setting her feet on the floor, Nicki limped as she worked her way up a hill, using her knee over her ankle to climb the sliding mud. Nicki propped herself on a tree that had grown on the incline. Twisting around, Nicki pulled down a tarp that had been tacked to the tree she was settled at the base of. "Quickly now." Pietro slipped down the backside of the tarp. Nicki followed suit, tagging the tarp back on the tree as she dropped down. As she dropped down, Nicki practically fell onto Pietro, almost forgetting that this cove was pretty much for one person.

"Will they not see the tarp?"

"No, the rain will cause the mud to cover it. We'll be good here until morning." This was one of the only hiding places that Nicki had created that was meant to be using while it was raining. Weather of any sort was so infrequent on the island, that Nicki never had a reason to make one with the concern of flooding or collapse.

"What happens in the morning?"

"I'll have another plan."

"What if that does not work?" Pietro questioned.

"Then I'll come up with another, and another until one does. Until then, I have to think." Nicki sat down, and rubbed dome mud off of her arms and pant legs. Shaking her hands out, she wrung her hair out before pulling it out of her ponytail. She shrugged the book bag off, before leaning on the mud wall.

"So did you find this place back when, or did you dig it out?" Pietro sat across from her, pulling his shoes off to air them out, hopefully drying them.

"I found it, although it had to be reinforced, otherwise it would fall. Can you help me get my boot off?" Pietro unzipped the shoe, and worked it off her foot. Nicki dug through the pack, and pulled out a small white case. Snapping it open, Nicki pulled out some gauze, and a wrap.

"You need stitches, something sturdier than a wrap." Pietro concluded, all the while cleaning the blood off of the gashes on her ankle. "I need to set it too."

"Are you saying that stupid trap broke it?"

"Sorry."

"I've delt with worse. Right now, I just need to be able to walk on it." Nicki winced and pulled her leg in when a sharp pain shot through her leg. "Easy now." Pietro wrapped his shin around her knee, keeping Nicki from moving it too much as he worked his hand around her ankle, trying to pinpoint the location of the break. Grasping her shin firmly, he saw Nicki close her eyes, as he applied pressure, shifting the two bones back into alignment, causing the girl to jump. Pietro placed the gauze over the wound, and then wrapped her ankle firmly in the bandage.

"How come you said you were bound to be hurt again? Is that not asking for it?"

"Me and Clint have a Barton's luck. We always end up hurt, even if we do something as safe as crossing a street of marshmallows. We're just prone to it." Leaning her head back, Nicki listened to the woods as the pain in her leg began to lessen. She forgot how quiet everything was here. Back in the city, every moment was filled with cars or someone yelling, but here, Nicki could hear the rain hitting the leaves, and the animals that continued their life in the damp. This place was beautiful, if you weren't on the run from a sociopath.

"You can tell me about it you know. The island. It could help getting the team back." Reeled back in from her thoughts, Nicki looked at Pietro, who was pretty close, considering the size of the place. His hair had been dampened onto his head, dirt smeared across his face. She didn't think she was looking much cleaner either.

"Only if you tell me why your freaked earlier. What did Wanda show you?" Pietro seemed surprised.

"How do you figure about Wanda?"

"Please, you two are twins and you had your hands on her shoulder. It's the only reasoning for your sudden change of tone." Nicki reached her legs out in between his, giving the muscles room to breathe. Her right foot was propped on his thigh, in an attempt to elevate it. Following suit, the speedster reached his out, caging Nicholette.

"She showed me what she had gone through in the short time that Silias had them. He isolated her and then forced her to control the others. I got glimpses of machine work, and some sort of chemical, but nothing was clear." Pietro rubbed at his eyes, doing nothing much but smearing the dirt that was there.

"If that's all, then we should have an easy time returning them to normal. They should count their stars though, it could have been worse."

"What is worse than being alone?" he stared at Nicki, "What did he do to you?"

"Wanda has the others there with her, and not to put down anything that they are going through right now, but she has you. Once shes out, she'll be fine. You won't have to worry about her being like me." Nicki looked in her lap.

"That was not the question I asked." Nicki took a breath, and began to absentmindedly tap on the dirt.

"Beaten, Abused, Tortured, you could spin and point in the shop of horrors and you would hit something." Pietro seemed upset, his forehead crinkling. It was only in that moment, however that Nicki knew what the plan was. "But don't worry, Wanda will be fine."

"We all will be fine." Pietro corrected. Nicki turned her heard toward the tarp, hearing the rain.

"Yeah, the Avengers will be fine."

* * *

 **So I know this is a little short, just over 17 hundred words, but I'm kinda in love with this chapter, and am so excited on where this will take the story. Therefore I wanted to get it up asap. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and I would LOVE to hear from you guys, getting reviews always has a way to turn my day into a positive. SO I hope you enjoyed, and I hope to hear from you! AS per usual, let me know what you would like to see, not see, or have the characters do!**


	18. Chapter 18

When Pietro woke up, he was sprawled across the dirt. Sunlight came in through a slim opening where the tarp was slightly pulled open. He sat up quickly. Nicholette was no longer in the small area. He pulled back the tarp enough to slip out and as he exited the small cove, he saw that Nicki was sitting out on the hill side. She was sitting in silence as she pulled her boot back onto her foot. She was splattered in mud from the their previous escapade into the woods. Her hair was down, and intertwined with dirt and mud. She just looked into the woods and seemed to zone out.

"How long have you been up?" Pietro sat down next to her, carefully sitting on rock as Nicki had, so he didn't sit on the wet ground. He saw her smoothly slip something into the wrist of her glove.

"A few hours. I had to get another plan together." Nicki put her hands on her knees, and straightened her back.

"Did you come up with one?" Pietro picked out some dirt from underneath his finger nails.

"Yeah, but we have a few stops to make first. There are things that I need to set up, and grab before we go back to get the team." Nicki went to go stand, but Pietro stood quicker and helped her steady herself.

"Are you going to be able to walk?"

"We're about to find out, are we not?" Nicki reached inside of the cove, and grabbed the bag, pulling it on and strapping the front over her chest.

"I can carry that."

"No, you need to be able to run quickly if needed. You can't have a bag in your way." Nicki started down the slope, using trees to help her move. Pietro followed suit. When they reached the bottom, Nicki stooped down to look at the bottom of a large oak tree. Running her fingers over the bark near hidden behind the grass, Nicki showed Pietro that there was an arrow carved into the tree, that had been grown over, leaving a slight raise. It would only be noticed by someone who knew it was there.

"Did you do that? Nicki stood and began ducking under the branches, limping slightly as she moved through the trees.

"Yeah, this island can get al little confusing if you don't know where your going. And after getting beat around, you can get a little disoriented. So having markers around can really help, but they one help if only you know where to find them. Hence them being small and really low."

"You were clever."

"Of course I was, I was being hunted."

"Where are we headed anyway, this whole island looks the same." Pietro moved behind Nicki, following her footsteps precisely, not wanting a repeat of last night.

"There is a shack on the other side of the island that has the things we would need. It'll just take forever to get there. It's literally on the other side. " Nicki sat on a fallen tree before throwing her legs over and sliding to the ground, Pietro helping her down.

"Is there another way, is there a path without booby traps that I could run along?" Nicki laughed, rubbing her eyes, as she stopped for a moment to turn around.

"That sounds ridiculous when you say it, someone with your accent should never say booby traps." Nicki's face was bright as her lips were upturned at the corners and her eyes hare wrinkled. Pietro couldn't stop staring at her. Even though her face was covered in dirt, and her blue eyes were surrounded by the dark earth, she was stunning. She made a face, and brunched her eyebrows, still smiling. "Stop staring you weirdo, we have things to do." Pietro felt the corners of his mouth turn up as well. "Anyway if we can get to the beach then you would be free to run. Only thing is we would have to cross a river." Nicki turned around still limping, and began walking at a different angle.

" What would happen if we went around it?"

"Not possible, it starts at one end of the place and goes to the other side, we might as well walk across the middle."

"So walking it is." Pietro placed his hand on her shoulder.

"No, your right, crossing the river is quicker" Nicki pulled her hair into a ponytail and pulled her hair to tighten it.

"But the water-"

"No matter, we're here anyway." Nicki disappeared through some brush, and Pietro followed, finding her at the side of some water.

"You can not be serious. You can not cross the river."

"We don't actually have a choice. Just help me okay?" Nicki began to check the bag and make sure that everything was secure. Pietro blinked and nodded his head.

"Always." Nicki smiled.

"Good, now its actually deeper than it looks." Reaching back, Nicki grabbed Pietro's hand before beginning to wade into the water. Following her, Pietro soon found that the ground quickly dropped. The blonde's grasp on his hand tightened as the water circled her waist. In the next few steps, Pietro watched as her face began to tighten and become neutral.

"You doing okay?" Pietro asked as she just clenched her jaw and gave a slight nod. The ground underneath of them dropped suddenly and Nicki dipped underwater. Pietro was just barley able to stand. Popping back above water, Nicki spit out some water that had found its way into her mouth. Her other hand shot up to Pietro's shoulder and she dug her nails into his shirt, her feet kicking underneath of her. Moving over, Pietro helped to hold her above the water. She spit out again, and continued swimming. The two kept moving as they were able to regain their footing, Pietro took a few solid steps, using his powers to get them out of the water quicker. Water dripped off of them as they walked onto solid ground. Nicki was still clutching Pietro's shoulder and hand. Taking her other hand, Nicholette pushed back loose strands of hair that had stuck to her face and neck. Pietro pushed his hair back before placing his hand on her cheek, his eye running over her face. Nicki took a breath, and shook her head.

"We should be moving. The beach is on the other side of those trees." Nicki began moving to the treeline. Her shoes were filled with water and squeaked as she stepped onto the sand. Pietro followed her out and was stopped dead by the amazing view. The water ran on for miles, as far as he could see. The blue material faded into the distance, blending into the sky.

"Is it like this all the time?" Nicki turned, her head looking down into the bag as she did another check for their supplies.

"The sky?"

"Yeah. It is beautiful." Nicki watched the sun hit his face, knocking away the shadows of his cheekbones and turning his hair silver.

"You should see the sunset, its better." Nicki closed the pack, and put it back on her shoulders. "Alright Apollo, your going to want in that direction for about twenty five miles." He tore his eyes away from the sun, and turned toward Nicki.

"Is there going to be a marker to tell me where to stop?"

"No, it's hidden. I just know it takes me about nine hours from the start of river, which is about five miles over there." Nicki pointed in the opposite direction that she had previously pointed. Nodding, Pietro moved forward and scooped Nicholette up. If it wasn't for the fact that Nicki was wearing combat gear, Pietro was wearing a glorified jogging suit, and they were both covered in mud, someone could have mistaken if for the cover of some cheesy novel. Sprinting down the beach, They reached their destination in the matter of seconds. Or where Pietro had assumed their goal was. It was always hard to tell when the whole beach looked the same. Setting Nicki down, he looked to her for confirmation.

"Is this it?"

"I think so. Can you check the treeline for- nevermind I see it." Pietro looked around trying to find what Nicki had seen. Sensing his confusion, Nicki motioned up towards the top of the trees. Scanning the leaves, Pietro noticed there was a rag hanging from the top of on of the tallest branches, an arrow holding it to the tree.

"How did that get there?"

"I put it there years ago."

"How are all these things still the same? How have they not fallen or disappeared."

"The island hardly had any weather while I was here. Last night was a rare occasion. Anyhow, Silias is a creature of routine. He doesn't change much, but that goes along with the God complex and such." Nicki spun in a few circles, gaining a feel of her moved her arms as if she was drawing a bow and arrow, and moved to align herself with the arrow the was notched at the top of the tree. Once she had gotten to where she was aligned, Nicki went to go stomp on the ground, before catching herself, and knelt down, shifting through the sand with her hand. Catching her hand on the what she was looking for, Pietro watched as she pulled the top of a lid up. A wooden platform was lifted to soon reveal a hole in the sandy ground. Nicki tossed her legs over, and twisted to pull a flashlight out of her pack.

"What is this?" Pietro questioned, staring into the pitch darkness.

"An old ship. It was beached long before I got here, and had long enough the get covered with sand and such." Nicki placed the flashlight between her teeth and slipped down in to the hole. Nicki grabbed a box of dusty matches that sat on the bench at the far side of the ship, and lit a candle, giving the hull some light before Pietro dropped in after her.

"How did you even find this place?" Pietro asked, looking around at the old materials that littered the large space. Nicki shone the flashlight up and pointed out a piece of the ceiling that had been repaired with multiple planks over each other.

"I fell right through the ceiling. Almost broke my neck." Pietro's face looked quite alarmed that they had just walked on the deck of the ship. "Don't worry, I reinforced it once I found it. Plus the sand is actually super dense, so nobody is going to know this is a ship underneath." Watching Nicki, Pietro saw that her eyes were moving around the ship, catching on old cans, a stone pit, a desk turned upside down, and little things that would have never caught his eye. "This was my favorite place to hide. I was here a lot." Her boots creaked on the ground as she walked over to a chest that was nestled into the corner.

"It's cozy."

"Only if you had nothing. I would take a bed over sleeping on that desk any day. Can you help me with this?" Pietro was next the the chest in a literal flash, and pried it open. In addition to the rust that was on the hinges previously, not being open for years made it a pain to open. The hinged snapped, and the top flipped open. Nicki ran her fingers over the stuff in the chest.

"What do we need?" Pietro questioned. Nicki slipped the back pack off and opened it. She pulled a coil of rope, a some stakes, a few flares, and a large hook. Nicki stuffed them all in the bag. "Is that all?"

"Not quite." Nicki pulled back a dusty blanket, to show a simple bow that laid in the bottom. Nicki slung that across her chest and grabbed the quiver that was next to it. Nicki closed the chest, and strapped the bag over her weapons. Setting up a ladder, the pair climbed out of the ship, and onto the beach, where the sun was setting. "Look, when we get there you have to promise me something."

"Anything." Pietro replied.

"Don't stop moving. Your fast, you can avoid anything that gets thrown at you, but when you stop moving you will get hit. So your job is going to be to get to Clint and Natasha. They will help you get Tony and Wanda out. Don't stop moving." Nicki looked at Pietro in all seriousness. The man just let out a laugh. "I'm being serious Pietro!"

"It just reminds me of something Wanda told me. 'At speed nothing can touch you, but standing still.'"

"You guys need each other, which is why we are going to get her back. You're going to get them all back."

"We need each other, that includes you too."

"You still haven't promised." Nicki looked away, taking in the sunset, her jaw set.

"Only if you promise that we all get out." Pietro bunched his eyebrows.

"What is that suppose to mean?"

"I feel like this island is getting to you. I just need to know your okay." Pietro kept staring at Nicki, as she clenched her jaw again, awaiting her reply.

"Isn't the sunset pretty?"

* * *

What the heck is Nicki up to? Do you know? I do. I'll do my best to get it up soon, and would love to hear from you guys and what you think is going to happen, etc. Also, just let me know how you liked the chapter, and how you think its going to far!

On another note, who would read a story about Bucky and Steve, and a forgotten Howling Commando that somehow made it to the present day? Gasp! Let me know in the reviews!


	19. Chapter 19

Nicki and Pietro sat in a tree. The two had marched and ran their way over to Silias' mansion for their mission. The speedster sat with his back on the trunk, grasping onto the branches for dear life, not appreciating the height they were at. Preferably, he would be on solid ground, not four stories in the air. Nicki was leisurely sitting on a limb, her legs dangling in the air and she had the back pack on her chest, like a mother carting around her child in a sling back.

"How can you sit like that?" Pietro whispered, even though Nicki had told him to be silent.

"I just can." Nicki was focused on putting together her plan. Currently, she was holding the over sized hook and the rope. The blonde was tying them together in a set of intricate knots. Pietro leaned back against the tree and huffed. Nicki had explained the plan to him on the way to their current location, and he was underwhelmed. It was the type of plan only a Barton could think has a chance of working. But being a Barton, there was no changing Nicholette's mind. They were going to enter the building through the roof. Using the materials they had gathered, Nicki planned to zip line across the guards and onto the roof. Pietro cringed at the idea. Zip lining was one thing. But zip lining with old materials and a makeshift zip line, was another. Nicki glanced at the watch on her wrist. "Ready?"

"No."

"Oh well." Nicki straightened her back and notched the arrow that was attached to the rope in her bow. With a deadly accuracy, Nicki landed the shot perfectly, and tied off the rope to the tree. "We need to move quickly once we touch down."

"Being quick is my job." Pietro tried to joke as Nicki used the bow as a handle.

"Also, things are going to get ugly. And I don't mean just fighting." Pietro bunched his eyebrows as Nicki continued to elaborate. "This island makes you a different person, and I'm not a nice person here."

"Are you talking about the guard? "

"Look, that is not the first person I killed. Probably wont be the last." Pietro nodded his head, finally understanding what she was trying to tell him. This was going to be a bloodbath. Pietro stood and grabbed onto the bow as well. Nicki had reassured him that the weapon was strong enough to hold them both at once. "And don't tell Clint." She whispered into his chest, the two of them being in such close proximity. Pietro clenched his jaw in the situation, before Nicki pushed them both off the branch of the tree, sending them sliding over the courtyard onto the roof of the building. Nicki dropped down first, stumbling as her feet hit the ground. Once Pietro put his feet down on the rooftop, Nicki slipped the bow off of it, and quickly dismantled the rope by shooting the arrow back into the trees.

"What now?" Pietro asked, as Nicki walked over the the edge of the roof, and threw her legs over the side.

"We are going to hang off the edge of the roof and climb in through the window that is right below me." Nicki slung the bow over her shoulder.

"The window is open?" Pietro came to sit next to her and tossed his legs over, watching the guards who had just come around another rotation.

"No? I'll go open it." Nicki tossed the book bag back on the roof, and grabbed a knife out of her boot. Dispite Pietro beginning to speak, Nicki grabbed the edge of the roof with her hand and slipped over the side. Putting the knife in between her teeth, Nicki used the window's ledge to put herself in the right position to balance herself, grab the knife, and began to work on the lock. Nicki grinned and Pietro watched her put the knife back in her teeth. Glancing up, Nicki saw his head held over the edge, and nodded at him as she pried the window open and climbed inside. Pietro slipped into the room, and Nicki shut the window behind him. Looking around, Pietro found himself in a large bathroom. Nicki walked silently on the tile floor, and opened the medicine cabinet, and glanced over the contents. "Okay, so they should be a floor down. Problem is, there is a guard at every staircase." The silver haired boy nodded, and followed Nicki to the white glossed door. "Plus, these people have guns. So remember what I told you about being slow." Grabbing the bow in her hand, Nicki notched an arrow before easing the door open. Using delicate footwork, Nicki spun in the hall, pointing the weapon in each direction of the hallway. Nicki cocked her head in a certain direction, and began to slowly walk down the hallway, through the bends and turns until they found a stairwell. The door to the stairwell opened, and a man dressed in black walked out. Within seconds the guard had his gun up and was in the motion of pulling the trigger. Pietro watched in slow motion as Nicki's slim fingers loosened on the string. Her face was calm as the arrow flew. Glancing back over at the guard, Pietro watched as a bullet shot out of the barrel of the gun. Moving forward, he first grabbed the bullet out of the air, and then the arrow, spinning around only to see the guard on the ground with an arrow in his throat.

"Nicki."

"I told you it was going to be ugly."

"I can catch the bullets though. Nobody has to die." Pietro held his palm out with the bullet in it, and Nicki's face dropped.

"He got a shot out?" she cursed as she grabbed the arrow from Pietro's palm, and then grabbed the other from the guard. She picked up the pace, and hustled down the stairs, her feet slipping over the marble. She heard Pietro following her. Just as Nicki was about to open the door to the next level, where their teammates should be being held, it flew open and revealed a group of guards. Taking a step back, Nicki knocked the first few guards out with a couple arrows. Pietro, at the same time, had taken down the rest that had followed them. The duo stepped over the guards, and into the current hallway.

"Where should they be?"

"They should be here." Nicki ran down the hall and pulled open the third door, only to have it hold shut. Swearing, Nicki backed up, running into Pietro in her haste. He reached out to steady her, but she had moved already, kneeling by the bodies of the guards, digging through their uniforms.

"What are-"

"There should be a key. Quick." Pietro was soon next to her and was digging through the jackets of the men.

"Are you talking about these?" Looking up, Nicki snatched the keys and hurried back to the door, flipping them through the lock, Pietro grabbed them and tried each key until the door clicked open. Nicki went through and let out a sigh. There was nobody in here. Pietro turned around and punched the door. "You said that they would be here!"

"They should have been." Nicki felt her chest begin to tighten. She didn't have much of another choice.

"They are not."

"They should have." Nicki turned to the speedster, and grabbed his wrist. "Look. You go to the foyer. Keep your hands on your head and they won't shoot. Give this to Clint when you see him." Putting a folded piece of paper in his palm, she looked him in the eye.

"Don't look at it, just give it to Clint." Pietro closed his hand around it, and put it in his pocket.

"Where are you going? We are sticking together."

"I have something to take care of. I'll meet you down there."

"No, Nicki-"

"Go. We don't have time for this. I'll see you down there." Pietro's jaw clenched before he ran off, leaving Nicki behind with a trail of blue light. Nicki placed the bow in the quiver and pulled the knives out of the batons. Forcing a smile on her face, she set a mask of confidence, before marching out of the empty room. Nicki walked down the stairs to the second floor, marching down the hall, knocking down every guard that tried to stop her. Nicki stopped in front of a set of double oak doors. Nicki reached out to open them, until she was grabbed from behind. Nicki through up her feet and planted the sole of her boots on the oak doors, effectively pushing them open. The person behind her let his guard down, as Nicki dropped low, and spun, knocking her attacker on the ground, before swinging her blade. As Nicki walked into the large open room, she could feel warm blood on her neck and face. She felt that she was sixteen again, back on the island for the first time. Nicki's eyes were trained on the bed in front of her. A figure sat up and Nicki pointed her weapon at the silhouette, moving forward quickly, pinning him to his bed.

"We need to talk." Nicki glared at Silias as if she was trying to turn him into stone. A figure sat up next to him, and Nicki quickly turned her sword on Silias' fiancee. Olivia quickly shut her mouth, pulling the blanket up the her chest. The quick movement brought Nicki's attention to Olivia's shoulder, where there were a few faint lines that curved over her shoulder.

"About what?" Silias' voice was clearly one of a man who was annoyed.

"The Avengers."

* * *

Pietro had followed Nicki's instructions, even though he hadn't wanted to leave her alone. It almost felt like Sokovia, when he had left Wanda at the core by herself. He had the same pit in his stomach. And Sokovia ending with his being shot multiple time, and also being declared legally dead. But due to some of his abilities, he was clearly, not dead. Yet here he was, with his arms above his head, guns pointed at him. So badly he wanted to go and find Nicki, knowing that together they could find Wanda. He also, didn't want her to be alone in this place, and that was knowing only peices of the story. So there he stood, standing in the middle of this large foyer, with men who were dressed in all back pointing their guns.

"Pietro?" Pietro spun around to see Wanda, dressed in the same clothes that she was wearing when he last saw her. Dropping his arms, he ran and wrapped his arms around her head, planting a kiss in her hair.

"Wanda, thank god." he whispered. "Sora mea." Pietro looked up to see the others standing not too far away, all of them looking confused.

"Where's Nicki?" Clint stepped, more limped, forward.

"She told me to come here, she said she was right behind me. Are you guys okay?" His eyes scanned over his teammates, not knowing what was about to happen. Remember what Nicki said, Pietro reached into the pocket of his pants, and handed Clint the piece of paper that Nicki gave to him. Clint unfolded it and his blue eyes scanned over it, before his face scrunched up.

"Where is she?" Clint went to go past Pietro, but stopped short by a voice from above.

"She's right here." Pietro turned and saw Silias standing at the top of the large staircase. He wore only grey pants, while Olivia, who was standing next to him, tied a thin robe around her waist. Nicki stood on his other side, her neck, face, and arms were splayed with blood. Her eyes looked down, staring at the ground.

"Nic, what are you doing?" Clint spoke just loud enough for everyone to hear, as his voice shook. Nicki closed her eyes.

"More like what has she already done." Silias began to walk down the stairs, leaving his fiancee and pulling Nicki by her arm.

"Please tell me you weren't that stupid Nicki." But still, Nicki didn't stay anything.

"Too bad. You may leave. " Silias waved his hand, and the guards moved in on the team. Clint began to yell for Nicki, but was quickly pushed out the door, by a group of guards. Once outside, Clint and Pietro both began to bang on the door, yelling at them to open it. Clint through a punch at the door, and then another.

"Guys, as much as I hate it, she must know what she is doing. We are in no shape to fight. We have to go." Clint turned around to look at Natasha.

"Are you serious? I'm not leaving her again. Nicki!"

"Clint. Look at Wanda. We need to get her home." Natasha put her hand on his shoulder, and Pietro saw as his face was pale, his breathing quick.

"Clint. What did the note say?" Clint held out the note, and Pietro grabbed it, slowly opening it. Her large, linked, and loopy handwriting was clearly hers, the message written on a torn and crumple piece of paper. As he read it, Pietro felt his heart ache.

* * *

"You made the right choice." Silias whispered in Nicki's ear, as she leaned against the other side of the door.

"It was the only choice." Nicki's voice cracked as silent tears slipped down her cheeks. Nicki clenched her jaw, and composed herself, turning the Silias. "So what did you do to them?"

"Some drug, I'll tell you all about it later love. First we have something to take care of." Silias turned around, and held out his hand. One of his guards placed a handgun in it, as Silias pointed it at Olivia.

"Silias, darling. What are you doing?" Olivia held the robe around her body tighter.

"We all knew Nicki was endgame. So you no longer have a use." Nicki's head flipped over to study Silias' face. He was truly crazy.

"I have done everything for you. I love you. Please?" Olivia realized what was about to happen, and she became the second crying female in the room, only her cries were loud and painful to listen to.

"I never truly loved you." Silias pulled the trigger, and Olivia collapsed. Guards moved forward almost instantly to dispose of the body. Another guard took the gun from Silias as he moved to Nicki's side. "Lets get you some clean clothes Nicholette." Guiding Nicki up the stairs, she could only stare at the spot where Olivia had just been standing. She already wanted to go home.

* * *

 _ **Clint,**_

 _ **I'm so sorry. I didn't want it to end this way, but you don't need me.**_

 _ **The world needs Hawkeye more than I need my brother, and Pietro need his sister more than anything. I'm starting to realize that nobody needs me.**_

 _ **Do what you do best and go be an Avenger. Do your job and save people.**_

 _ **Tell Pietro that I never lied, the Avengers are safe. I never was one.**_

 _ **-Nicki**_

 _ **Also, your my brother, I love you, I forgive you,**_

 _ **I forgive us.**_

* * *

AhhhhHHHHHhhhhHhhHHHhHHHH! My break was so hectic. My friends are having drama, and school is hectic so I had no time to type. But I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think, also what you would like to see of Silias!


	20. Chapter 20

"What the hell was she thinking?!" Clint punched the side of the Avenger's conferece room and immediently felt like he ws going to fall over. His vision blacked for a moment before he walked over to a chair and fell into it. Everyone was around the table looking like they could pass out at anymoment. Pietro was doting over Wanda, who seemed to be the least injured of them all, yet she hadn't spoken a word. Her eyes seemed to be staring into space, as if they were calulating the world's problems. Tony was rubbing at his hands, the cuts slowly beginning to heal. Natasha was sitting back, wet hair on her shoulder as her fingers typed away on the computer, attempting to gain any little bit of information from the SHEILD files that had Nicki's name in it.

"She thought she was doing the right thing." Natasha tried to tell Clint, but he didn't want to hear any of it.

"I don't care! She shouldn't be back there. She should have never been there." He put his head in his hands, and clenched his jaw. Everyone was silent. Not being able to bear it anymore Pietro stood, and walked out of the room. He was on his way down the hall when he heard Wanda behind him.

"Pietro." He turned around and stopped moving.

"Wanda, I just need a moment."

"You have to stop blaming yourself." She quickly cut him off. She wrapped him in a hug.

"Your the one who was kidnapped, You should not be consoling me."

"But your in pain." Wanda only countered.

"So is everyone else. My pain is not equal to everyone else."

"I can see in your head brother. You care for her and think that it is your fault that Nicholette is gone, but it is not." Wands took her brother's hand in hers, and looked him in his blue eyes.

"It is, if I had only let her go do her plan, instead of inturrupting her-"

"Pietro, she had no plan. From the moment she walked in the dinning room, she knew how it was going to end. You didn't do anythng to change that." Clint came out of the door behind them, and walked up to the siblings. Wanda gave her brother a hand squeeze and walked back into the conference room. Pietro leaned up on the wall and looked at Clint Barton. His eyes were rimmed in red, and his face was scrapped up, bandages littered over his skin.

"Pietro, did Nicki say anything?"

"About what? Giving herself up? Lying the me? Cause apparently she never had a plan." Pietro began to feel betrayed. Meanwhile the gears in Clint's head began to turn.

"Wait. She said she had a plan?" Clint looked at the speedster, who had his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, she said-"

"Exactly, I need exactly what she said." Clint began to look around, putting peices together.

"She said to follow her lead." Pietro's eyebrows bunched together, and he seemed confused by the lanuage the the Bartons seemed to have.

"Then thats what we do. We follow her lead. Go tell Tony to drop all of our defense systems, When Nicki reaches out, we need to be able to hear her."

* * *

The gunshot continued to echo in Nicholette's ears. She was standing in the foyer, just staring at the large double doors that her brother and teamates had been shoved out a day eailer. Nicki had already began to miss the fights with her brother, and the laughs that she would have over morning coffee. But most surpisingly, she missed talking to Pietro. The quick flashes of sliver hair, and that goofy smile. He didnt treat her like she was going to explode, but he also took her experience into account when somthing would happen. She stiffened, torn out of her thoughts when a hand was placed on her hip.

"Darling, We have people coming over you must get dressed." Nicki gracefully moved out of Silias' grasp, and spun around to face him, where he was dressed in black slacks and a black dress shirt, untucked. He looked like someone who would be in a magazine, not on an island running a evil empire. She wanted to tell him off for even touching her, but she had to play a civil game, until she finished the rest of her plan.

"Sweetheart, I though you said that you would tell me what you were doing on this island." Nicki moved past him, her bare feet scraping on the floor. She began to walk towards the staircase, her silk robe gliding across the marbel floor.

"That will be explained at the meeting. There is an outfit for you, and someone will be up to help you get ready." Not even bothering with a response, Nicki walked up the staircase to her bedroom. Or the room that Silias had deemed to be hers. Nicki opened the french doors, and found an outfit set on a maniquin. Nicki looked over the style that SIlias had chose. It was a plain red dress, with a 'v' style strap. Quickly pulling off the robe, Nicki pulled in the thin, slinky material. It clung to her body, and fell straight to the floor as soon as it passed her hips, it fell straight to the floor. Turning around as the door opened, Nicki looked over her shoulder to find a Silia's sister walk in.

"Dally. How are you?" Nicki felt a pang in her heart. She had left Dally a little girl so many years ago. But now Dally stood on the same ground as Silias. Courrupted and unable to change her ways.

"Fine, Silias said to help you get ready." Dally walked over and looked Nicki up and down. "Your not wearing that are you?" Nicki shrugged.

"It's what your brother picked out."

"He dosen't know what he's doing. He probally just grabbed the first thing out of Liv's closet." Dally disappeared into the closet, apparently finding another outfit.

"So these are her clothes?"

"Yeah, she was a all about the glam and stuff. Your diferent though, you prefer things ready to go." Dally brought a few peices out, and tossed them onto the bed. Thowing a top at Nicki, Dally dove back into the pile to find a skirt to wear with it. Nicki pulled the bandeu on. It was a leather halter top that wrapped around her upper back over her chest and connected at the back of her neck. Next Daly had her slipping into a long black skirt that sat at the small of her waist, and a pair of black strappy heels.

"This feels so much better. Your up for doing my makeup?" For Nicki it was a shot in the dark, Four years ago, Dally had begged to do Nicki's makeup when she was prisioner in this place. This was Nicki's test on where Dally wanted to be. Granted it probally wasn't an accurate test, but it was all Nicki had.

"I have to go get ready myself." Dally began to exit the room, but froze at the exit. "I can repaint your nails later though, they look a little rough." As the door shut behind Dally, Nicki smiled before continuing with her makeup. This gave Nicki the oppurtunity to smile even though she was getting ready to go find out what was causing the revival of Silias crazy. Throwing on some makeup, and running a brush through her hair, the blonde stood and exited the room, making her way up the stairs to the dining room. Entering the room, Nicki had a small pang, as just the other day she was standing here with Pietro. Granted she had snapped somebody's neck, but they were still together.

"Can I get you anything ma'am?" Glancing through her lashes, the Barton saw a young boy, who had an apron tied around his waist.

"Nothing that I can't get myself. Thank you though." Giving the boy a soft smile, Nicki proceeded on her way to the kitchen, only to have the boy follow at her heels.

"Please Miss, Sir Silias will be very angry if I don't help you." Nicki stopped, and sympathised with the boy.

"Can you get me a glass of water please?" There was a sigh of releif as the boy hurried to fill a glass with water. In his rush, he stumbled over a broken tile, and tripped. The glass fell to the floor and shattered, a loud crash filling the room. Nicki stood to help the boy clean up the water, and shards of glass when Silias walked into the room, making eye contact with the young child, a fear was exchanged between them. After all, Oliva had been killed for doing absolutly nothing. This child ment nothing to Silias, Nicholette decided that their was only one course of action to help this child. She slapped him.

"What is going on here?" Silias questioned. Nicki stood and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"This brat forgot to put ice in my water." Nicki curled her lip, playing the role to its fulliest.

"As for the broken glass?"

"I threw it. It would give the runt somthing to do, in cleaning up it's mess." Nicki began to walk out of the kitchen. Pausing as Silias took a step towards the boy, she put her hand on his hip.

"Now I already handled it, there is no need for you to get rillied up before your guests came over." Silias gave the boy a hard look before turing and placing his hand on Nicki's back.

"That is the reason I have come for you. My guests are here. Are you ready to find the awnsers to your question?" It was all Nicki could do to smile.

* * *

1\. Sorry for the wait

2\. Sorry this is so short ( this is 100% a filler chapter)

for the wait?

Yeah I know this took forever and that this is super short but I am having trouble putting my thoughts into the computer and make this work the way I want it to. Anywho I hope you enjoyed what I was able to get out of my brain, and let me know what you think!

also, I know this is full of spelling and grammer errors, but my computers left click is not working, and I am awful at spelling.


	21. Chapter 21

When Nicholette walked into the room, she saw another couple. Scratch that, not another couple. Just a couple. The girl had long silky hair that was twisted into a bun, and the man was seemingly older than everyone, with a bald head and an expensive suit.

"Silias, my boy." The two men left their arm candy to give each other a handshake. Nicki immediently picked up a glass of wine off a tray that a servant was holding.

"Keat." Silias was smiling, showing his white teeth, as if he was judging on how to take his supposed friend down. "This is Nicholette, my fiancee." Nicki's ears perked up and choked on her wine. Putting her hand over her mouth, she forced herself to swallow the liquid, before letting out a few coughs.

"I'm sorry?" Nicki held the wine glass between her fingers, and Silias shot her a glare. "You never asked me." The Barton forced herself to keep smiling. Embarrassing Silias would be worse than anything that she could say, but she couldn't help herself.

"I don;t have to. Your mine." Quickly ending that conversation, Silias turned back to Keat, and grabbed his shoulder, leading him away from the two blondes. "Now why don't we talk business?" Keat smiled as the two men began to walk away.

"Silias Honey, I thought you said that I could join you."

"You can't." Nicki took a step froward to protest, as Keat, whom Nicki had just met, turned around and gripped Nicki's upper arm. Nicki felt pain shoot through her arm. She bunched up her nose as she tried to pull her arm out of his grip. That only caused Keat to tighten his grasp. Keat's sleeve slightly shifted and Nicki saw the outline of a red circle, a design printed on his skin. Nicki's blue eyes widened, and she stopped moving.

"You should mind your tongue child. This visit will not be like your last adventure on this island."

"Of course sir. My apologies." Nicki felt like a child, small and unimportant. She saw Silias' look change in the background. He looked confused, he had never seen Nicholette back down like that. He realized that he would have to keep an eye on her, something wasn't right. Keat released Nicholette's arm, and left the room with Silias. Nicki turned to the girl in the room, who was all but forgotten. "Who does your boss work for?" The young girl remained poised.

"He's not my boss, he is my husband. We love each other very much." Eyeing the bruises around the collar of the other girl's dress.

"Okay then." Nicki turned on her heel, and began to walk away from the arm candy, following the direction that the boys went.

"They told you to stay here."

"It was more of a suggestion." Walking down the hallway Nicki's heels clashed on the marble flooring, she realized that the men had practically disappeared. So she was left wandering the hallways, thinking of the poor girl that was wrapped around Keats' finger. She had no thought or free will of her own. Finding herself in the main foyer once again, Nicki sighed and walked towards the door to her left. Looking round her, she stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. Paying no mind to all the knives and shackled around her, she let her eyes wander around. Absent-minded, Nicki's hand found it's way to the back of her neck, her fingers lightly tracing over the her eyes, he took a few steps forward as she noticed a slight shift in the wallpaper across the room. Running her hand over the paper, Nicki began to peel off the paper. She rubbed the paper between her fingers, and stared at the wall. The plain wall.

"What did you think you would find?" Tensing her muscles, she looked over her shoulder to find Silias.

"Anwsers. Ones that you wont give me."

"You'll get them in due time. Dinner is served, come." Silias held out his hand, and Nick slowly placed her hand in his. He should have struck her by now, or at-least something the reprimand her disobedience. As she followed Silias to the dinning room, she almost laughed as they walked through the doors, and a large stain was on the carpet. "Don't ruin this for me. Don't make me hurt you." Silias whispered as he pushed in her chair for her. Her mind began to run with thoughts. Plans entered her brain, yet she would jut as quickly dismiss them, rationality telling her that the pan would never work out. She would just have to play along for now. Unfortunately, that means playing a submissive girl who had no thoughts of her own. As the servants brought out the drinks, and some light food, the two men began to talk.

"But have you tested it yet?" The two seemed to be continuing the conversation from the earlier, Nicki just had to fill in the missing pieces.

"Yes. The first formula did not work. The subject remained out of reach. However, the second formula proved to be more effective." Silias took a bite of his food, before lighting up a cigarette in the middle of the discussion. Glaring at the burning end of the stick, Nicki wanted to put the burning end out in his eye. Yet, she held the desire to do so, and instead took a sip of wine. A large sip.

"Where are you subjects now?" Keat moved his hands back, and allowed for his food to be placed in front of him. He instantly picked up a knife. Nicki still was running plans and outcomes through her mind. She was currently running the outcome of plan F.2. Lets just say that none of the plans have favorable outcomes yet.

"The most recent were cleared of all effects, and were sent home. However, the first is sitting at the table." Nicki, held all of her surprise, and took another sip of wine. "It however proved ineffective."

"Then how can you expect me to invest?"

"Because I now have the missing piece. Nicholette is to provide me with it. You do remember what I'm referring to, right darling?" Silias caught Nicki's eye, and she knew she had to cover for herself. She did after all agree to hand it over, as part of their deal.

"Yes, of course." Holding up her empty wine glass, a servant instantly moved and took the glass from her hands. Turning her head to the servant, she spoke under her breath. "Can you put some bourbon, vodka, or something stronger in here?" As he left the room with her wine glass, Nicki turned back to the audience.

"Then it will be finished as discussed." Silias took another drag. Keat, bit into his dinner. The room fell into silence as Nicki's drink was brought back into the room. Instantly taking a drink, she felt the liquor burn her throat as she braced herself for the rest of dinner.

* * *

The rest of the night passed without much incident. Keat and his girl left the island by way of helicopter. Nicki quickly showered and dressed in robes set out for her by some maid. It had her wondering how Silias got all these people to work for him, what he was really working on. Wringing out her hair, she tossed it over her shoulder, allowing for it to damped the back of the burgundy silk. Exiting the large bathroom, Nicki found Silias pulling off his shirt, standing in front of his wardrobe in his slacks.

"What did you mean you tested it on me?" Silias looked up.

"What are you talking about?" Silias turned around and tossed his shirt on the floor.

"You said that your first subject was at the table. I'm pretty sure you ment me. So, what is your plan?" Silias went to begin talking, but Nicki continued with her questions. "And why is Keat investing in it? Who is he?"

"Are you finished?" Silias lit another cigarette. "I had some of my men inject the serum once you crashed the car. Dally was suppose to do it, but she wasn't able. It a simple compound that allows for one to become susceptible to suggestion, it changes a balance in your brain that almost takes away a person's ability to make their own choices."

"Making them a slave."

"Yes. Perfect for an army!" Silias was grinning from ear to ear. "Keat wants the ability to have power."

"Why would you want to give someone that power? Why not keep it for yourself?"

"I can. I just need that dial that you have, that map can leave me the power to control all of this." Nicki's ears perked up.

"A map? Who would put a map on a piece of metal?"

"The same people who would give Thor the power of Mjolnir. Asgardians. The power that supposedly lays beneath this island would be match of what Loki could do in the Battle of New York. If I could just get the tiniest bit of this matter, I can change warfare." Silais became enthusiastic while talking about this power. Waving his arms in a wild manner.

"How does that help you keep control once you sell it?"

"They would have to keep coming back to me for more. I would decide who gets to control who. Does that not give me all the power?"

"How do you even know this exist? That this isn't some folklore?" Nicki truly began to question the man's sanity, or the little of it that she believed him to have.

"My family has been on this island for generations, stories have been passed down of this. Nobody could find the map, but you did. You were brought to me for a reason, which not only makes you mine, but makes this power mine. Where is it?" Silias walked toward Nicki.

"Hhm?" Nicki pretended not to hear his question, as she thought of what to do. Unfortunately Silas repeated his question, and Nicki still couldn't think of a lie complex enough to postpone giving him the truth. "I don't have it." Silias froze. He lurched forward and grabbed Nicki by the arm.

"What?" He reeked of nicotine and alcohol.

"Did you think I would bring it with me? I didn't even know what it was, but I knew it wasn't good. Now I'm glad I didn't bring it with me." Nicki spoke softly, as if she wasn't afraid at all. "Your going to wish you weren't so bold."

"Do your worst. I've already handled much worse than you."

"Don't be do certain. I'm going to make you scream."

* * *

Screaming I'm sorry to all you readers. I had the hardest time getting this chapter into words, and it still isn't very long. I am so sorry that the chapters are taking so long, but I am becoming swamped between school and work, having no time to do much of anything else! The only thing that pushed me to write were all the lovley reveiws that this was getting. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you!

On another note, I feel that to continue this story right I need to up the rating to R. If you disagree, or would be uncomfortable with that rating, please let me know, and I'll do my best to keep it away from R.

I hope you enjoyed!


	22. Chapter 22

Pietro hadn't slept a wink. He had barely shut his eyes, his mind running a thousand miles a minute. Even though Clint had insisted that Nicki would contact them, she had yet to do so. The coms had been empty, and the SHIELD part of the compound was dead. Steve has told everyone to go home. He had returned, and with some friends in tow. This included one that Pietro had knew, Falcon, and even the evasive James Buchannan Barnes. But they carried another girl into the compound, her skin was pale, and her hair was practically white. But never mind them, that was another story. Everyone was sluggish, Clint and Natasha practically never left the gym, only doing so when Stark needed help with some machinery. Even though Nicki had only been apart of the team for a few weeks, it seemed there was a hole in the dynamic. Nicki had filled the holes that everyone seemed to have. With Tony, she provided a person who would sit and talk about schematics with. She would go over plans with Steve, calculating every possible outcome. Natasha lost a sparring partner, and Wanda a teammate who she would talk to for hours. Clint lost his sister all over again. She had come back into his life, and left just as quickly. Pietro lost a friend. He missed how he would come back from a run in the middle of the night, only to find her in the kitchen making herself food. And since she was always awake in the middle of the night, she was the one that he would talk to for hours when something was on his mind. When he had told her about Ultron and the way it ended, she hadn't looked at him as if he was a fragile soul, but as someone willing to take the hit for the greater good. She looked as if she connected with his choice. He would miss how she would sit silent for hours and run her fingers through his hair. She claimed twisting his silver hair into knots and braids helped to calm her mind, but Pietro didn't care about that, he just loved being around her. Her personality shone, despite what she had been through. Pietro would just really miss Nicholette. Pietro sat up, and moved into the hallway, pulling a shirt on. He stretched out his arms and tried to let the tenseness leave his arms. As he entered the living room, he looked at the television, and stopped dead. Instantly he turned and ran through the compound, waking everyone up, and telling them what was happening, leading them to run to the living room. Nicholette was on the television, and she wasn't doing too well.

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Her whole body hurt. Not the 'I just went to the gym for the first time in a year and worked my ass off' kind of hurt either. She hurt. Every breath brought a searing pain, but that was, if she could get a breath. As of now, Silias was getting his hands dirty. Something he would usually have his henchmen or slaves do, he was doing himself. His sleeves were pushed above his elbow, and his black shirt was splattered darker with blood. His grip on her hair tightened as he pulled her head back, allowing her to fill her lungs with air. Nicki gasped for a breath, as water trailed down her face, and her hair clung to her skin. Mascara was running down her cheeks and covered her eyes. Silias loosened his grip on her hair, only to grab her by the back of her neck, pinching her nerves. Her shoulders shrugged upward, igniting a burn in her shoulder. Throwing Nicholette onto the hard concrete floor, but due to her hands being handcuffed behind her back, she hit face first. Nicki let out a small groan, rolling on her side to worm her way to kneeling. Holding her head down, she stared aimlessly at the floor, staring at the mixture of water and blood on the floor. Running her tongue across her chapped lips, she found there to be a deep split, that was one of the sources of blood filling her mouth.

"Nicholette. You have an audience."

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"Oh my god." Wanda covered her mouth and took a step backwards. Clint instantly sat down on the arm ouf a couch, and let a breath of air out. Pietro felt a pinch in his chest. Everyone seemed to be in shock. This was the first sign from Nicholette, and it wasn't a good one. Clint lowered his eyes, his little sister really didn't have a plan after all. Everyone was dead silent. Clint couldn't even gather his thoughts.

"Nicki." Pietro breathed. He was taking in her appearance. Her face was covered in dirt and scratches, one of her eyes was bloodshot, while her eyelid and skin around it was various shades of blue, purple and black. Her lip had blood slipping out from a gash in it, and her hair was flat on her head, water forcing it to cling on her face and chest. Her face, despite the blood and bruised that were already beginning to form, was calm. She seemed to be, even after being held in water for minutes on end, to be expressionless, no fear, no pain.

"How is she so calm?" Wanda whispered, "She looks awful."

"She's doesn't have a choice." Clint stood, and spoke directly to the screen. "Silias." The brunette boy jumped in front of the screen.

"Are you talking to me?" Pretended to be surprised, Silas put his hand to his chest, a cigarette between his fingers. Putting the lit nicotine in between his lips, the team saw his hand was covered in blood, some of which transferred to his face, when he moved his cigarette. "Of course you are." He smiled, smoke flowing between his lips.

"What you do want now?" Clint put his hands behind his back. Silias looked at Nicholette behind him and frowned.

"Dear, why aren't you standing for our guests?" Nicki blinked, and looked Silas. Pietro could have laughed when Nicki, very sarcastically, ltrying to lift her tied hands, and gave Silias a 'yourkiddingmeright' look. The cigarette in Silias' mouth twitched, as he walked over and grabbed the back of Nicki's hair. Natasha flinched, as the blonde was pulled to her feet. Pietro was the only one who noticed that she still favored her injured foot, landing mainly on one leg.

"Silias." The brunette turned back around faced the Avengers.

"As I was saying. I need something, and I know you have it." Silias took another drag on the cigarette.

"Why in the hell would I give it to them? I mean do you really think-" Silias contorted his face in rage, as he whipped around and punched Nicki in the face. As Nicki toppled over, Silias grabbed her by the hair and pulled her around to face the screen.

"I want it now." Silias gritted his teeth. "And you're going to give it to me."

Pietro looked at Nicholette in the screen. Her face was staring straight, he could only assume she was looking at them through another screen.

"Well I don't know what your talking about." Clint spoke up, and crossed his arms. Reaching behind his back, Silias pulled out a gun and put it to Nicholette's head. She only raised her chin and made her face expressionless.

"Kill me and you'll have no leverage."

"This won't kill you." He placed the device to her neck and pulled the trigger. Flinching, Nicki planted her feet of the ground, and jerked herself out of Silias a slight cry, she ripped her left hand out of the handcuffs and grabbed a knife that had been discarded on the floor. Moving to throw the knife in her opponent's chest, Silias held up his hand.

"Stop." Nicki found herself frozen. Clint watched the scene unfold, as Nicki stood frozen and Silas stood in front of her. "Now, in case you haven't figured out what is going on by now, Nicki has to do as I say."

"We don't have what your looking for."

"You have four hours. Or I may just have to help myself." Silias smiled and moved behind Nicki, grabbing her hips. "Give me what I want." Silias smiled before the camera cut out. Every let out a breath. Natasha muttered some words before walking away. Wanda stood and followed, leaving Clint and Pietro alone staring at a blank screen.

"We must go." Pietro spoke first.

"We don't even know what he wants. How can we help the situation?" Pietro reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin peice of metal.

"This is what he wants. Nicki told me to keep it safe."

"She would kill us if we gave it to him." Clint ran his fingers through his hair, and began to walk away.

"But we are going, yes?"

"I have nothing to lose, she hates me already. Suit up."

So my laptop broke and I had to buy a new one. So that sucked. But thats my exuse for this being so short and taking so long. I hope you guys enjoyed and please let me know what you think!


	23. Chapter 23

"I told you," Nicki paused to gain her breath, "They won't come." After three and a half hours of hanging from her wrists, she had blocked out the pain stemming from her arms and hands. Silias was sitting on a chair in front of her, taking another drag on yet another cigarette.

"They will." Silias just exhaled. Nicki let her head drop, her chin hitting here chest. Her vision began to fade once again, as it had been for the past hour or so. She barley felt the pain anymore, she was just tired of everything. Clint wouldn't be dumb enough to come for her and she didn't have anyone else. Maybe Pietro would have come for her, but she lied to him, told him she had a plan. She had betrayed him. He wouldn't come for her. She must of gotten too quiet for Silias, because he stood up and grabbed a iron rod out of the furnace that was heating the mannor. "Don't tell me you've gotten comfortable Nicholette, We can't be having that."

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"I thought this place would have better security." Clint remarked as he opened the front doors to the mannor.

"You do know they are expecting us, yes?" Pietro tugged at the sleeve of his uniform. He had taken out the guards that had been around the exterior of the mannor without a fight, it had taken maybe a second. Clint just rolled his eyes, scanning the front room. He was standing in the same spot that he was when he had last seen his sister.

"Still, now we still have to find Nicki and we don't know where she is." Clint stopped as a shrill scream echoed through the halls. Clint turned to Pietro, "Go." With a nodd Pietro turned and disappeared in a blur. He came back a few moments later and paused,

"I found her, but I cant get in the room. I need you to take out the sensors." Clint followed Pietro to a door with stairs leading down into a basement. Peering into the dark room, he noticed a pannel at the bottom of the stairs. He pulled out his bow and notched an arrow, he aimed it at the pannel, but before he could release the arrow, an army of men dressed in full combat gear.

"Oh so now they get here." As Clint spoke, the sensors gave out, and the duo began down the stairs. Silis met them at the bottom,

"They had always been here. You two were no threat until you got near me. Now." Silias held out his hand, "Give me what I want." Clint stepped infront of Pietro, walking up to the smoker.

"Give me my sister." Silias stepped aside, and opened the path for the Avengers to see there newest memeber strung up like ragdoll. Pietro's face softened. Her head was dropped onto her chest, her arms pulled above her head. Roped wrapped around her wrist held her above the ground, her feet barley scraping the ground. Not to mention all the cuts, bruised and the fresh burns that littered her body. She had a pair of thin linnen pants, and a matching bralette. Her long blonde hair was twisted with dirt and blood, laying flat on her head.

"Go and get her, but you know she might get shot or somthing before you get there." One again, Silias held out his hand. Clint tighted his grip on his bow.

"You don't really think we would trust you? We have no insurence that you would actually let her go. So I'm gonna have to take a no on that offer." Clint quickly raised his bow and let an arrow fly. Pietro ducked at the sound of gunshots, as Clint's arrow hit the rope that held Nicholette and they broke, dropping the girl to the ground quickly. Pietro quickly disappeared and reapperared by Nicholette, pressing his hand to her chest, his fingers pulling away red. He looked up at Clint.

"So you now have to option to give me what I want, and take that 'offer' and try to help your sister, or you can be stubborn and let her die."

"Aw, Nicholette's gonna kill me." Clint reached into his pocket, and pulled out the golden key in question. Putting it in his hand, Silias curled his fingers around it, and put it into his pocket. Silias then pushed past Clint, waving his hands at his guards, the room was quickly empty, save the three avengers. Clint jogged over to his sister and teammate, and kneeled on the ground.

"Is she okay?" "Well she is breathing, so that is good. Although she is bleeding pretty badly." Pietro had her head in his lap, his hand pressed to her shoulder.

"Looks like the shot missed anything important. We need to get her out of here." Clint reached int his pack and pulled out a pair of long slender tweezers, moving quickly to dig into the fresh gunshot wound to pull out the bullet. He used butterfly stictches to close the wound to the best of the given ability, and taped some gauze around the area.

"When she waekes up she is going to kill you. She made me promise." Pietro wipped his hands on his pants to rid them of the blood, before scooping up the small girl and standing. Clint picked up his bow and stood as well only to be stopped by a small voice.

"Why would I kill you?" Nicki peeled open her eyes and first saw Pietro, then they quickly moved to Clint, "Wait why are you here? What's going on?" She squirmed out of Pietro's arm with a groan, and cried out when her feet hit the floor, her knees giving out. Pietro caught her and steadied Nicholette.

"Now is not the time." Clint remarked before moving toward the exit. Nicholette was running though things in her head.

"You promised, your here, Silias is gone... You gave him the key?" Nichoette got so caught up in her thoughts that she began to pannic. Her head was spinning, although that may just be another concussion ontop of each other, and she felt like she was going to be sick, although that may have been hunger and thirst. She closed her eyes to try and regain control of her breathing, when Pietro placed his hand on her back. She was running though plans in her head.

"We didn't have a choice, he shot you." Clint tried to make the situation better, "Lets get out of here and then we can argue about the situation."

"We can't! We have to stop Silias! Now please tell me you brought me a suit or somthing." Clint turned around and grabbed his sisters arm, letting go quickly when she gasped and tensed up.

"Your in no condition to fight anyone. Now please." Nicholette sighed,

"You don't understand. The serum that he used to control everyone is only a prototype. They key that you gave him will cause it to be much more effective. Taking the time from an hour to a week. It would give him control over everything, plus he already has a buyer. So about that suit." Clint sighed,

"I didn't bring you a suit, we can go back to the base and get you one. Or you can go home and you can let me take care of this." Nicki gave him a look of sheer confusion.

"This isn't your problem, I'm dealing with this. So it looks like I'm wearing this." Nicholette gave a small wave to the torn bloody outfit that she currently had on.

"Actually, I have the backup suit that Stark ordered," Pietro jumped in, "But wait until we get elsewhere, yes?" Nicki gave a small smile and looked at the silver-haired speedster.

"I knew I liked you for a reason." Clint grabbed Nicki's hand gave it a quick squeeze, before leading them out of the basement. The mannor was oddly quiet as they took their leave. "Everyone must already be looking for the 'special ingrdient'."

"Lets just get back to the plane, and get you fixed up."

"Where did you park?" Nicki questioned her brother.

"The blue garage. I mean it has the best parking on the island." When he received deathly look from his sister, he quickly changed his awnser. "It's right behind the treeline." He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly picking a good time for a joke was not his strongsuit.

"And I watched out for all those traps you were telling me about." Pietro picked up Nicki so they could move a little faster.

"Thats good, next thing we need is another cripple on the team." Nicki gave a cough, rubbing blood from her split lip. Pietro sped up a bit just out of earshot from Clint, telling him they were gonna 'scope out the scence'.

"You okay?" Pietro asked Nicholette. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I'm just tiered, and my whole body hurts. But sure, I'm good." Nicki joked. Pierto shifted his grip on Nicholette.

"We'll figure this out quickly, do not worry." Pietro finally reached the ship, Clint coming up behind them. Opening the hanger to the plane, Pietro set his teammate down on a bench, and rummaged through one of the overhead compartments to pull out Nicki's spare uniform.

"Is there any advil on this plane? Or any type of pain medcine, perhaps all of them?" Clint walked to the front of the plane, and grabbed a canteen and a bottle of pills. He handed them back to Nicki. She placed three of the pills on the back of her tounge and chased them with the water, or atleast she thougth it was water. "Is this coffee?" She stared at her brother, who gave a sheepish shrug.

"You know I can't survive without coffee. I can get you water though?" Nicki thought about it for a seccond, before shrugging.

"Coffee is good." Pietro handed her a spare uniform and she slowly changed. Pietro noticed she favored her ankle, and shoulders.

"Youh going to be able to fight kid?" Clint asked, loading some more arrows into his quiver, as well as loading up a set for his sister.

"Yeah, as soon as those relivers and coffee kick in, I'll be super." Nicholette began to strap a small arsonal to her figure, finishing it off with the quiver and slipping the bow over her back.

"So where are we to start?" Pietro slipped a thin jacket over his shirt.

"When I first got to the island, I found the key near a lagoon about two miles inland. I think we shoulid start there. Silias said that nobody cold find it before, yet it was so close to the surface. There has to be somthing I missed back then." Clint looked at his younger sister in a differnet light at that moment. She wasn't angry at him, not was she isolating herself. She had grown up in the past five years, becoming someone almost new. From his young litte sister, with hope in her eyes and flowers in her hair, to one of pain and suffering who was angry at the world. Now she stood in an official avengers uniform, face and arms covered in cuts, fire in her eyes, and blood in her hair. Clint walked forward and put his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Whatever you say, I'm following your lead."

* * *

I don't want to leave you guys hanging, so I picked this story back up to finish it off! It'll still be a couple chapters so dont worry! I whipped up this chapter real quick to let you know that I do plan to finish this! Comment with any questions you have, anything you'd like to see before this story gets wrapped up! Also feel free to mention anything that I've yet to wrap up thatway you guys arn't left with anyquestions as this story comes to a close! Thanks so much XOXO

***I realized that there wasnt proper spacing for the speaking lines, so I had to reupload real quick


	24. Chapter 24

The trio had been walking in the woods for about an hour now, they were moving at a much slower pace as Nicki trudged at a slower pace. Pietro was flittering ahead every now and again to make sure the way was clear of any traps, even though Nicki could already tell them that the way was clear.

"How much longer to this lagoon?" Pietro questioned. Nicki peered through the treetops, a few glares of sunlight peaking through the leaves onto her face. Pietro would have though someone would look angelic in such an enviorment, and she did, if it wern't for the blood and bruises that littered her face. Her eyes darted around the treetops, and her lips moved silently, and she counted on her fingers.

"About an hour, maybe two with my leg." Her hand was pressed to her thigh, her own personal attempts to make herself think that it would somehow fix her leg before she had to face Silias. "And that means it would be Silias has about a five hour headstart to us. Factoring in our stops, and recovery bump at the start. Which means-"

"Your bambling." Clint cut Nicki off. The blond archer was walking alongside his sister, his hand on his bow. He had been pretty quiet so far. Even so, the comment made Nicki smile. It was somthing that they would do when they were kids. Nicki would offten babble when she was nervous. Clint would always be the one to call her out on it. It was familiar. "We'll get there in time, dont worry." He gave his younger sister a soft smile, his grin faltering when his Nicki stumbled, her left foot getting caught on a fallen tree branch. Clint reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back up. Clint saw that Pietro was on the other side of her, holding her other arm. Meeting eyes with the speedster, Clint gave an involentary frown. Pierto let go and tucked his arms behind his back, give a grin.

"I will go check ahead, you should take a minute and sit." With a slight blue haze, he sped ahead. Clint helped his sister sit down on the branch that had previously tripped her up. Nicki rolled her neck, and reached down and slipped off her boot. She inspected the tape work that Pietro had done before they had let the carrier.

"He's a good kid you know?" Clint spoke. "You two would be good for each other."

"Pietro? Then explain when you just stared him down like he's a frat boy?" Nicki chuckled.

"I didn't even mean to you know?" Clint scruffed his little sister's hair, some pieces falling out of her ponytail. "How are you feeling?"

"Remember when we were young and would race our bikes down the giant hill in the town over?" Nicki slipped her boot back on and relaxed, staring up at the trees. Clint nodded. "And there was that one time your front wheel bent when you it a rock, and you went flying?"

"Yeah, I hit the ground so hard that I couldn't breathe for a couple minutes. Man did that suck." Clint sipped the water from his pack.

"You also broke your collarbone, and had a concussion. Man, Mom was so pissed." Nicki smiled at the memory.

"But what does that have to do with right now?" Clint questioned.

"Imagine rolling down that hill over and over again. The rocks tearing into your skin, your bones contantly cracking and splintering under pressure. It feels somthing like that. All except mom isn't here to patch you up." Nicki was running her hand together, picking dirt out of her fingernails.

"Im sorry Nic." Clint put his hand on her shoulder. "And yeah Pietro is a good kid, but your still my litter sister. I want whats best for you. From here on out, I'm gonna be there for you. No matter what, through anything, we're family."

"Clint-" Nicki sighed.

"We need each other. I need you to figure out how we're going to stop Silias, and well right now you need me to walk there." Clint stood and helo out his hand. "Family?"

"For always." Nicki took his hand and pulled herself up. Pietro came back, a flushed look on his face.

"We need to keep moving, somthing feels weird. " Pierto kept looking around nerviously.

"Right. We don't have alot of time." Clint spoke. Nicki slowly walked forward, and looked over her shoulder at Clint.

"You know? I think I'd like to meet the kids, and Laura when this is over." She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and straighted the harness, which held her batons.

"Whoa sis, as much as I'd love that, lets finish on this island first. Then all of us'll go out to dinner or somthing." Clint looked over at Pietro. "That means you too kiddo."

Wanted to pop this out for you guys! Please let me know if there was anything you want to see as this draws to a close. I put some more interaction between clint and Nicki in this one. In the next chapter is going to be a big face off bewteen Nicki and Silias. Please let me know what you think and reveiw!


	25. Chapter 25

The trio had reached the the lake by sunset. Nicholette crouched down by the water, and dipped her hands into the lake. Pietro stepped up beside her, taking in the view. The sun cast a golden glow onto the surface of the water, and onto Nicholette. The sun lighting up her hair into gold, her face was cast in the last rays of sunlight for the day. Looking at the cuts and dirt on her face, Pietro found himself thinking back to when he first met Nicki way back when. Back then, she wqas full of herself, a young girl who smiled because she had no idea what was happening due to being obliviated drunk. Now she was a fighter, covered in dirt and cuts, who couldn't smile because she had the world on her shoulders. And man, did she play both parts well. He looked down at her and smiled.

"So what are we looking for?" Clint inturrupted Pietro's thoughts.

"When I found the key, it was just sitting just under the surface. I grabbed it, then-" the blonde girl stood, her boots sinking into the sand. Clint scanned the treeline at her sudden movement. "There was someone ontop of the cliff up there." Nicholette pointed to the top of the overhang above the water. She looked at her nails and curled them in when she noticed her polish was almost gone, the top of her nail now jagged and uneven. She turned to Pietro, "Can you get me up there?".

"Of course." Pietro grabbed her hand, and gently picked her up before carefully setting her down moments later at the top of the cliff. Her hand lingered on Pietro's shoulder for a moment before she moved toward the edge of the cliff. "Hey, be careful."

"It's fine. This cliff hasn't moved in years." Nicholette smiled, her eyes darting around at their surrounding, from the water, to the trees, the ocean that was miles out, to her idot brother, who was putting on quite the show. His arms were waving in the air, before dropping to his hips. Nicholette chuckled at the drama. Pietro moved to her side, as she put her hands on her hips and slouched forward, staring into the water. The speedster would have thought this moment perfect, if they wern't on the hunt for a madman.

"So, see anything?" Pietro moved to peer over the edge of the cliff. She pointed towards the water,

"Do you see that?"

"There is suppose to be somthing there-" Pietro looked to where the blonde was pointing, cutting off when her sudenly dropped five feet. Pietro watched in slow motion as the ground left from underneath his feet, leaving him with nothing to move on, he began to fall. He watched as Nicholette's face moved from curiosity to terror, as her arms moved despartaly for somthing to grab onto. He heard Clint yell as he tried to grab Nicholette, but they fell at different angles, away from each other. It was all he could do to just fall, and wait to hit the water. Once he hit the sufrace and tumbled beneth it, he instanly began looking for Nicholette under the water. She was already swimming towards him, and grabbed his wrist. He looked around and paused, grabbing Nicholettes shoulder, spinning her around, pointing. Nicki's jaw dropped releasing the air the was in her lungs, quickly putting her hand over her mouth. Pietro tugged on her harness, pulling her toward to surface. When they broke the surface, they took giant gulps of air. Nicholette turned toward her yelling brother, who waded into the water.

"Are you okay? Nic, are you hurt?" Pierto helped Nicki swim over to the shore, where Clint pulled her out of the water, checking her over for any more damage.

"Guys, I'm fine." Nicholette turned to Pietro putting her hands on his shoulders, "Did you see that? Go look on the other side for another entrace." Pietro nodded and sped of in a blur of blue, the current pulling Nicholette's wet ponytail over her shoulder. She took a deep breath before turning to her brother.

"What did you see down there?" He asked, moving back to the edge of the water.

"There a cave. One that must run through the cliff, or you know into the cliff." She smiled frantically. "That must be where Silias is. It makes sense, I mean I have been everywhere on this island, the only place that would be new would be underground!"

"Nicki. This is crazy." Clint put his hand on her shoulder.

"No what's crazy, is being on the hunt for Asguardian chemicals, on an island with a murdering pyschopath!" Pietro reappeared at their sides.

"Get this, There is a hidden keyhole on the far side of the mountain, you would not see it unless it was looken for." Nicholette did a little fistpump.

"Okay, so we'll just go around the mountain and go through the door. Then we bust Silias."

"Uhm, Nic, we don't have the key." Clint scratched his head. Nicholette turned.

"No, you gave him a fake key right?" Nicholette tilited her head.

"We did not have a choice, he had shot you." Pietro defended his teammate.

"I'm aware he shot me, i'm the one with the bullet hole. Your telling me you gave him the real key?" Nicholette started to raise her voice. "And now our only way into the mountain is to go through the underwater caves?"She reached froward and smacked her brother's shoulder, only to wince at the pain that shot through her arm and shoulder. Clint reached into the backpack that he had brought,

"Then I guess its a good thing that I brought these." Clint held up three portable breathing devices.

"Clint, its not just the fact that I can't breathe underwater, it's a small space, we don't know how long it is, and its underwater!" Nicholette jaw tensed, as she let out a deep breath. Pietro came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder,

"We'll be fine. It can't be too far, besides your not going to be alone."

"Give me that damn breather." Nicki snached one, before inspecting it. "I hate you both." She placed the breather between her teeth, and began to wade back into the water.

"Wait, don't you want to make a plan?" Clint began to follow his sister into the water.

"I have a plan! I'm going to kick the shit out of Silias." Nicki mumbled through the breather. Before rolling her shoulders back and diving below the surface. Clint followed suit. Pietro smiled before putting the breather between his own teeth. Following the Bartons into a near certain disastar.


	26. Chapter 26

Clint lead the way into the tunnel, a flashlight held in his hand as he swam forward. Behind him was Nicki, pulling herself through the narrow cave by her hands, finding little nicks on the rock walling, she ignored the little voice in her mind that made her want to crawl out of her skin. Her hair was still in its ponytail, the golden flecks mezmorizing Pietro who was behind Nicholette. I followed her, squeezing himself through the small openings that Nicholette fit easily through. Her hair flowed through the water as if she was a mermaid, and Pietro would have thought that she may have been one, if he couldn't see her hands shake in the dim light. Reaching forward he tapped her ankle, causing Nicki the look behind her. The speedster tapped his wrist, the quesion pending,

 _"How much longer?"_ Nicki rolled her eyes and moved her shoulders upward,

 _"How would I know?"_ Continuing forward, they kept moving for what seemed like forever. Nicki could feel her heart rising in her throat. Not only was she underwater in a small space, but she was about to see Silias. Two things that never failed to make her nausious. Reaching a paticuarly small opening, Clint was forced to stip off his bow and quiver and hand them off the Nicki. She then passed them off the Pietro, and began to help her brother through the the narrow space. Manurvering himself around, he put his feet though the hole, and began to inch his body though. Grabbing a rock the was embeded above her head, Nicki placed her feet on Clint's shoulders and began to shove her older brother into the space. Once Clint was finally though, leaving Clint and Nicki in darkness, Nicki's momentum carried her into the edge of the opening, her knee slamming into the rocks. Blood bloomed in the water, as the rock cut through her suit and into her skin. Opening her mouth the cry, the breather dropped from her mouth onto the floor below them. The blondes' hand went to her mouth as her oxygen supply left. Clint shown the light back into the small space, where the water tinted red, and Pietro was scrammbling on the floor for the breather. Nicholette was next to him running her fingers through the dirt trying to locate the device. He showed the flashlight around, trying to help their search. Nicholette blew out the last few air bubbles that she had, and looked at Clint, panniked. She was pushed aside when Pietro quickly handed Clint's weapons to him through the hole, and then pushed Nicholette through. She fit much easier than her elder sibling did. Nicholette's lungs began to burn, Pietro wormed his way through the hole with the help of Clint, before grabbing Nicki's shoulders and looked at her as her eyes shuttered shut before snapping back open, Nicholette tried to start swimming upward to the light. Pietro followed her, taking his own breather from his mouth before pressing it against Nicki's lips. She looked at him with wide eyes before shaking her head, continuing her swim. It was only secconds later that she felt her vision flicker and she inhaled fresh air through Pietro's device. Relishing the oxyogen in her lungs, she grabbed Pietro by the back of his shirt, and began to haul him upward towards the dim light. She figured Clint must be behind her, she didn't have time to look. Pietro could only hold his breath for so long. Pietro seemed to be doing well on his own, swimming faster than Nicholette could. It was just a moment later when they breached the surface of the water. Pietro look a quick gasp of air, before turning to Nicholette, who just stared at him the breather still in her mouth, her eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed. Nicholette reached up, pulling the device from between her lips, and tucked it in the strap of her uniform.

"Are you crazy?" Nicholette said in a hushed yell. She lifter her hand and placed it on his cheek. "You could have died, we didn't know how much longer until there was air!" Pietro noticed how her eyes darted over his face, as if looking to see if he was okay. Her hair was clung flat to her head, turned about four shaded darker from the water that saturated it.

"Me or you? Always you." Pietro gave a goofy smile and shook his head, water dropplets spraying onto Nicki's already damp face. Nicki just cocked her head,

"Why me?" It was just then that Clint decided to pop his head above the water, slipping his bow back over his shoulder.

"Are you kids okay?" Nicki slipped her hand to Pietro's shoulder before awnsering.

"All alive here." For the first time she looked around at where they were. It was a open cavern, a slope leading up to to where she could only suppose Silias was. Not much could be seen where the upward slope ended. Clint and Pietro climbed up on the incline, taking a moment to shake off their clothes before pulling Nicholette up behind them. Crouched over due to the shot ceiling, Nicki wrung out her hair before throwing back over her shoulder. Ignoring the burn in her shoulders and entire body, she began to climb the steep incline to the small opening of light at the top. Reaching the peake of the slope, the trio peered over the edge into a room. Inside the room stood a small group of people, Silias was there, as well as Keat. The two of them stood in a conversation, a group of people stood around them, holding clipboards, and tablets.

"Who is that?" Pietro nudged towards Keat. Nicholette slipped the bow and arrow off of her back, notching an arrow on the string.

"Names' Keat. He's an investor in the drug Silias is trying to market. What we need to know is where is this 'special ingredent'." Nicholette adjusted herself onto her knees.

"Oh? If he's just an investor he should be easy to take down." Clint flashed a smile before following suit and notching an arrow in his bow. Nicki turned her head around quickly talking to her brother in a hushed whisper,

"Don't be dumb, hes dangerous. Keat is apart of the older generation on this island." Nicholette tapped her wrist, "He has a red ring around his wrist, which indicates him as apart of the 'Redling". Silias' father was one of the members too. Back when I was on the island the first time, they were the ones that ran things. It wasn't all about the drug like Silias makes it out to be, his father and his company just wanted to control warfare through delegation. Their hands were in everything from politics to the high tables of every army. Thats why the island is so calm this time around, his father is dead, and I thought they were too. Don't underestemate him."

"We can deal with him without killing." Clint spoke. She rolled her eyes, clenching her jaw. She knew that he wasn't over that.

"Look, you may not like it, but this is who I am here."

"You can be better. Let the past be the past." Clint looked his sister in the eye.

"It won't be the past until this is over." She glanced at him sideways. "I'll do what I have to do, I'm sorry."

Nicholette watched the duo as they moved around in the large space, talking to each other. Ignoring the two boys next to her who were talking over her head, she set the bow down underneath of her and placed her hands over their mouths, as she shushed them. Craining her head forward, she tried to hear their conversation.

"- it'll work." Silias breathed out smoke, before taking another drag.

"I told you I need a demostration. I'm not going to buy somthing that you just concocted together in the last twenty minutes." Keat eyed the vial the was on the table infront of them.

"It is infused with Asguardian magic now. Thats what this cave is." Silias motioned to the space around then.

"I don't know that. All you did was put a few drops of that water into you mix, and now your telling me its affective?" Pointing to a nearby well, Keat rolled his eyes. Silias scowled, and too another drag on his cigarette.

"Its asguardian. It's stuff that you can't even comprehend, its been hidden for years and now we've unearthed it. Now I'm in control of it." Silias picked up one of the injection guns, which sat next to a tray full vials that held the clear liquid. He clicked a vial into the top. "You said you needed a demo?" Giving a croocked smile, Silias grabbed one of the other people in the room, this one wearing jeans and a red tee shirt. He was just an ordianary person. Nicholette moved her hands from Clint and Pietro's mouth, and picked up her bow, an arrow already notched. As Silias went to go inject the serum into the guys neck, Nicholette stood and drew her bow, taking aim. Once she had her target in sight, she released her breath and then loosened her finger on the taunt string. The arrow took flight and smashed into the vial the was loaded into the gun. The arrow bedding itself in the floor, the contents of the vial spilling on the floor. It also announced their presense. Grabbing another arrow, this one ties tied to a cable, and shot it at he base of the opposing wall. Slipping the bow over the cable, she slid down the line, landing on the ground with a sadisfying thump. She heard two more thuds behind her as she walked forward.

"No demos. Your done Silias." Nicholette slightly cocked her head as she looked around the room. "Lets just make this easy man." Silis took a long drag on his cigarette before flicking it on the ground, finished.

"Nicholette. You should have stayed home." Silias stepped forward toward Nicki, with a flash of blue Pietro stood beween them.

"You insulet girl. You dare challenge us?" Keat stepped forward only to have an arrow aimed at his chest.

"Dude, you really shouldn't insult girls like that." Clint looked over the arrow at Keat. Nicholette stepped around Pietro moved towards the well, peering over the edge of the bricks. Looking over the edge of the well, she just saw darkness.

"Say Keat, you said you wanted a demo?" Nicholette whirled around, wide eyed, as Silias spoke with a grin on his lips. Stepping away from the well, Nicholette spun around, trying to figure out Silias' play.

"What are you doing Silias?" Glancing at her brother, she saw that he was steady looking at Keat. Glancing at Pietro, she saw that he was looking at her. She looked at Silias and saw his fingers twitch, as well as his jaw clenched. Looking behind him she saw the table of vials. Piecing things together in her brain, she lurched forward, starting a sprint across the room toward Silias. Pietro took a step back unsure of what was about to go down, but quickly began moving toward Nicholette. Within a seccond, Pietro was next to Nicki, pushing her to the ground, covering her with his own body, as a bullet crashed into the wall next to her head. Looking over his shoulder, she saw men in tactical gear entering through one of the hallways. Looking back over at Silias, she saw that he had loaded the serum back into his gun, and jammed it into one of the groupies neck. Slipping out from underneath of Pietro and quickly pulling him to his feet, she glanced at her brother as soilders filled the room. She looked over at Pietro, meeting his blue eyes, noticing a slight electricity to them before tapping his arm, and giving his a soft smile. "Pietro, run."

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Please let me know what ya'll think! There are only a few more chapters for this story so let me know what you want to see happen in this story, what team ups you want to see in the big fight scene, or any interactions you want! Also let me know what holes ive yet to fill and I'll be sure to do so!


	27. Chapter 27

Pietro ran. He sped around the cave pushing Silas' men over, and plucking stray bullets out of the air. He saw Nicholette pick herself up, and pull the bow back from around her shoulders, before notching arrows and taking gunmen down. Glancing over he saw Clint in a fight with Keat knives drawn. Nicki was set into a rhythm, notch arrow to aim to release. It was almost therapeutic to watch, although he had his own baddies to fight.

Nicholette released arrow after arrow, taking down who she could. Glancing over at Silas, she saw him inject another person with the serum, before pointing at her. She slipped the bow over her back before running to the man that continued to make her life a living hell. As she slammed into him, she pushed her hands into his shoulders, knocking him down onto the stone. Silas quickly rolled back and stood, brandishing a pair of knives. He gave a smirk before taking a moment to smooth out his shirt. Nicholette reached over her shoulders and grabbed the batons, her slim fingers gripping the buttons revealing two shiny blades as she pulled the knives down to her side. She heard someone charge at her, one of the victims of Silas' mind control. She barley cocked her head before a flash of blue swept by her, taking care of the threat. Her blue eyes bore right into Silias.

"Love, has it really come to this?" Silas inquired, taking a step forward.

"You can always stand down, or you know, die." Her threat was simple, as she took another step towards her foe, her boots planted firmly on the ground. She felt everything as she finally came face to face with her past. Her muscles burned as she lunged forward, raising her blades and thrusting them towards Silas. She felt the breeze of air as Pietro ran past, dealing with all of the muscle men that Silas and Keat brought with them. The damp air that had her wet hair sticking her her neck. When their blades finally collided, Nicki screamed. She lifted them again to bring them back down with more force. Silias ducked and dodged her attacks, countering with his own. Her blade pierced his shirt, red blooming from a cut. His blade nicked her leg, adding to the burn in her muscles. They continued to clash, until she felt Pietro's arms around her waist, and when she had finished blinking realized she was all the way across the room.

"Are you okay?" Pietro questioned, his hands placed on her tense shoulders. Nicki blinked again, before looking at Pietro.

"What are you doing? I was in the middle of something!" Nicki screamed, pulling back from Pietro.

"Are you okay? You are crying." Pietro took a step back.

"No I am not, Im-" reaching up, Nicholete found that her eyes were damp. "I'm fine." She brought her hand up and wiped her face with the back of it. "I have to do this." She spun away from Pietro and was stopped when he caught her shoulder again, she winced at the pain that shot down her arm.

"Then do it. Stop holding back, you have been pulling your punches." His silver hair fell into his eyes as he shook it out of his way. They both perked up as they heard a yell.

"Clint." Nicki breathed before taking off towards Keat and her brother. Her boots bend over the uneven ground. She was focused on her brother fighting hand to hand with Keat. Clint had tripped over his own two feet before falling down. Pietro was behind her fending off the last of Keat's crew. Nicholette notched an arrow, and fired at Keat. The arrow found its mark in his shoulder. He yelled and spun around, pulling a gun on Nicholette. She took a step back with the gun pointed in her direction.

"You stupid bitch. You have ruined everything!" Keat spit at Nicki. Clint lunged from the ground and grabbed Keats boot, trying to pull him down. This gave Nicki time to charge at the man, she lunged for his throat and got within about two feet before Keat turned back around. He reached out and grabbed her throat, pulling Nicki into the air. Not wasting any time, she pulled her legs up, ignoring the searing pain in her side. She wrapped her calfs around Silias neck as she felt his grasp tighen. She stuggled with Keat, trying to gain control of the situation. A blue blur came up and crashed into Keat's chest, knocking him and Nicki to the ground. Nicki's head collided with the ground for about the hundreth time this summer. She rolled away from Keat, kneeling to see Pietro standing over him. The fall the the ground had knocked Keat out cold. Nicki jumped up and looked around for Silas. She saw Clint looking over the edge of the well.

"You can't even see whats down here." Clint groaned, rubbing his shoulder. Nicki caught the tail end of Silias' shoe as he ran out of the entrance. She took off, hearing Clint call out for her and Pietro shift on the rocks and stopped.

"No. You guys take care of Keat, and destroy that well. Understood?" She didn't wait for them to answer. And prayed that Clint would listen and reign Pietro in. She darted out of the cave through a series of tunnels, following the smell of nicotine and the path of ash. Niki finally emerged to a chilly wind. She shivered as the breeze pulled the last of the dampness out of her hair and off her clothes. Turning at the sound of a rustle in the brush, a loud pop filled the silence. A searing pain pinched through her left arm, and she pulled her hand over the now bleeding gunshot wound.

"Really Silas?! Shoot me again? That's your play?" Nicholette yelled at the man as he stepped out of the woods.

"I see you didn't bring your dogs... or your arrows." Silias pointed out her empty quiver. Nicki reached up and unclipped the strap, dropping the quiver and the bow onto the ground.

"I don't need long range weapons to kill you. I have my bare hands." Nicki raised her gloved hands. She smirked as she stalked in Silias' direction. This was one time that she couldn't care less about how much her boots crunched over the leaves and branches.

"But can you kill me? You have already tried so many times." He smiles. "And failed. That was without your brother in the picture, and now that is he... well I dont think you will kill me at all." Nicholette charged him, letting the bait work. Silias threw a punch and grabbed her by her hair, throwing her to the ground. Nicki popped right back up and threw her elbow in his face, catching his nose. It cracked and blood sprayed across his face. Using the momentum she slammed her foot between his legs and spun around, kicking him in the ear when he bent down. He fell down and splayed across the dirt and leaves. He propped himself up on his elbows, face and shirt covered in blood. When he smiled a toothy grin, his white teeth were smeared with blood. Nicholette reached behind her, eyes never leaving Silas. Pulling a gun from the back of her belt she aimed it at him.

"You've ruined my life." Nicki sighed.

"And you mine." Silias chuckled. "I would have been fine had you never washed upon my shores."

"And a lot less people would be dead. You turned me into a monster." Nicki felt a tear fall down her cheek.

"The monster was always there, love. I just helped to bring it out." Silas spoke softly. Believing what he was telling her truly.

"I hate you." She gripped the gun, in the and pulled the trigger back to the safety guard, one final squeeze and Silas would finally be dead. She heard Clint behind her, only assuming that Pietro would be with him.

"Nicki, this isn't the way. He has to stand trial." Clint came up behind her. "Don't let him do this to you. Do the right thing!" Nicki thought for a moment. Struggling between what to do. She clenched her jaw and pulled the trigger. Silas hit the ground dead.

"That was the right thing to do." Nicki walked forward and placed the gun on Silas chest. "I'm going for a walk."


End file.
